


5 times peter saved aurora

by parkrstark



Series: darling, don't you ever grow up [2]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Adult Peter Parker, Allergies, Arcades, Arguing, Blood, Cabins, Car Accidents, Dancing, Domestic Fluff, Drowning, F/M, Fights, Fire, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Heartbreak, Homecoming Dance, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Injury, Makeup, Panic Attacks, Peter has kids, Swimming, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2019-05-11
Packaged: 2019-08-08 06:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 39,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16424519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/parkrstark/pseuds/parkrstark
Summary: ...and 1 time they saved each other.Or the one where Peter is a protective older brother and will do anything to keep her safe.





	1. the great outdoors

**Author's Note:**

> a big thanks to kat for helping me plot this out....I hope you enjoy!

“This is a cute little cabin you've got,” May said, walking in and looking around the living area with wide eyes. 

“Yeah, I bought it a few years ago. Thought it'd be a nice getaway. Aurora’s finally old enough I think, so it'll be a fun time.” 

“Three day weekend with a built-in babysitter,” Pepper said, nudging May’s shoulder. “I hear a bottle of wine calling our name.”

“I think you mean  _ bottles.”  _ May grinned with a wink. 

“Am I the babysitter?” Peter asked, walking inside with the leech still on his back.

“Sure are, squirt.” Tony walked past him, ruffling his hair. “And if the ladies get their fun, I think the boys should too.” 

“After spending 5 hours in the car with these two playing I Spy the entire time, I deserve to see my old bud Jack Daniels,” Happy said. 

Rhodey chuckled. “I second that.”

“I third it!” Peter chirped, fixing his hold on the little girl clinging to his back. She was small and even without Peter's super strength, he'd have no problem holding her, but she was asleep now and couldn't hold onto him.

“Nu-uh,” Tony said. “You've still got a few weeks before you're 21. You will wait until August 10 before drinking.”

“We gonna crack open my first beer together?” He asked, trying to play it off as a joke, but Tony knew better. Without his dad or his uncle, he needed someone to share moments like that with. Tony was more than happy to do so.

“Damn right we are,” he replied. “Though, I'd be happy if you'd stop growing. Feels like just yesterday you were the munchkin's size.” 

Pete rolled his eyes. “It was never as small as Rory when you knew me, Mr. Stark.” 

“Really? I swear I remember buckling you up in a car seat on the way back from Germany.” He turned to Happy. “Don't you remember that, Hap?” 

“Oh, I sure do,” Happy played along, always happy to tease Peter like he was his older brother. Peter, the younger brother, responded by sticking out his tongue. 

“If I weren't holding your daughter right now, you'd be sorry,” Peter promised with narrowed eyes. Probably about as scary as a tiny puppy.

“Yeah, yeah. Go on and put your stuff in your room. You can put her to bed. Your room is the second one down the hall upstairs. You've got a bunk bed. Go wild.” 

“I'm not a  _ child _ ,” Peter replied as he started up the stairs, Aurora on his back and luggage in his free hand. 

“Really? So that  _ wasn't  _ you building pillow forts all over my living room last weekend?” Tony raised his eyebrows. 

“Rory used her Bambi eyes! How could I say no?” 

Rhodey chuckled, nudging Tony's shoulder as he walked past. “Sounds like someone else I know, huh, Tones?” 

Tony swatted his head. “Shut up.” He knew he was referring to Tony's inability to resist Peter's puppy eyes. But it wasn't his fault! They really were impossible to ignore. He turned back to Peter. “Just tuck her in and you can have a glass of apple juice while the adults drink. Maybe you can have a sip of the good stuff.” 

Peter grinned down at him once before hurrying down the hallway. “I'll be right back!”

“You know he's not coming back,” Happy said with a smile. “The way he was nodding off before pulling in? He's gonna put her in bed and fall asleep right next to her.” 

“Think so?” Rhodey asked, lifting an eyebrow. 

“Oh, definitely. Kid needs his naps too.” Happy laughed, winking at Rhodey as he joined in his laughter. 

“Hey, now. No making fun of my boy when he's not here to defend himself.” May swatted them with a dish towel on the counter. 

Pepper was already cracking open the cabinet for some glasses. “If you guys want to have some fun, have it now. You know this will be the only night all weekend those two aren't running around crazy.”

“My beautiful wife has a point. We're going to have our hands full. There's so much for them to do, they won't even know where to start.” Tony rubbed his hands together with a smile. “There's a room of games, there's a bike path, there are trees to climb, and the best part: there's a lake with a rope swing!” 

“A rope swing Aurora will not be swinging off,” Pepper warned. 

“Nope. That's for us,” Rhodey said and before Happy could argue he waved a finger at him. “I'll get enough beers in you to get you to swing in.”

Happy scoffed, taking a seat. “Good luck with that.”

Tony rolled his eyes fondly. “While you two bicker, I'm gonna check on the kiddos.” He kissed Pepper’s cheek before walking out. He grabbed some of their bags and started walking towards the stairs.

“Should we wait up?” Pepper asked, pouring a glass. 

Tony paused on the steps, debating the question. “Nah. Go ahead, I should be down soon.” 

He went up the stairway and dropped his bags by his and Pepper’s bed. Then he stepped out and entered the room right next door: Peter and Aurora’s room. 

He stepped inside the room and over the Spider-Man backpack Aurora packed full of car games. He silently walked in close to the bunk beds and had to stifle a laugh when he saw his kids passed out on the bottom bunk. 

Aurora was half on a pillow, her hand tangled in Peter's curls and the other thumb stuck in her mouth. She had one leg thrown over Peter's shoulder, her foot in his face. He was lying sideways with half of his body hanging off the bed, his feet touching the floor.

He huffed as he leaned over and pulled Aurora into his arms. “Shh, princess,” he whispered even though she was asleep. “Daddy’s just fixing you so you're comfy.” 

He pulled the blanket around her but wasn't able to tuck her in completely with Peter laying on it. He chuckled as he tucked her hair behind her ear. “Your big brother just passed out trying to get you into bed huh? Did you wear him out in the car?” 

He shifted his attention back to Peter and shook his head. “Pete, you're half off the bed.” He leaned over and took him in his arms, groaning at the weight. “You know, kiddie, you're not the 15-year-old kid I used to be able to carry around.” 

He was 20 now...and even though he was heavier and bigger, he still fit in Tony's arms. Peter let out a little huff before twisting his head around to look at the bed. “R’ry,” he mumbled, eyes peeking open just a sliver. 

Tony brushed his hand through Peter's hair. “Sissy’s okay. She's sleeping like a normal person. Would you like to join her?” 

Peter let his eyes shut again and he grunted, turning his face into Tony's chest. 

Tony laughed softly. “Okay, kiddo. I got you.” He kneeled on the bed and lowered Peter down carefully so his head was on the pillows and then moved to lift his feet up off the floor. He untied his shoelaces and pulled off his sneakers, dropping them by the bed. His socks joined them on the floor. Then he pulled the blanket up and around Peter, tucking both of his babies in. Peter immediately curled around Aurora and Tony felt his heart soften. 

He pressed a kiss to Aurora’s forehead and then one to Peter's. They were both sound asleep again and Tony could easily have left the room and joined the others for a drink, but instead, he lifted the blanket back up and crawled into bed next to them. He was on Peter's side and when he pressed against his back to wrap his arms around both his kids, Peter leaned into the touch with a small snore. 

Tony's eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep with a soft smile on his face. 

 

\---

 

He woke up to a face full of curls and a flash. There was a groan from the person in his arms and Tony had to agree.  

“Hey, Dad. Rise and shine,” he heard a soft voice whisper as his shoulder was shaken. 

“Where's Aurora--oh, there she is,” Pepper cut herself off with a giggle. 

Tony blinked his eyes open and registered the dull pain in his side. Peter was still asleep in front of him, but tucked between the two of them was Aurora, fast asleep-- her elbow was currently jabbing into his ribs. 

“This is definitely joining the album,” the first voice, that Tony now recognized as May, said. 

He groaned, staring up at the two women of his life. “You two are always causing trouble together. And you're together like 75% of the time. So that's just great.” 

“Trouble? We're the ones that made breakfast for this lazy bunch. 10 am and you're still sleeping. At least Happy and Rhodey have the excuse of a hangover.” 

“Of course those two bozos got drunk last night.” Tony closed his eyes again, enjoying the bliss of waking up without a nightmare with his two kids still in his arms. He wished he could freeze this moment forever. He wrapped an arm around Aurora and threaded his other hand through Peter's hair.

“They felt the need to drink  _ your  _ share since you never came back down,” Pepper said.

“Couldn't leave. Peter was scared of sleeping in a new bed. Had to check the bed for monsters.”

“Liar,” Peter mumbled, sleepily. 

“Go back to bed, brat.” 

“Maaay,” Peter whined, “Tony called me a brat.”

“Remind me to high five him later.” 

“Hmph. I don't deserve this kind of abuse. Pepper, defend my honor.” 

“Oh, it's too early for your dramatics, squirt. Just shush. Go back to bed and they'll leave us alone.” Tony blindly moved his hand to cover Peter's eyes. 

Pepper laughed. “I know exactly what will get you two up.” She paused and then her voice was closer and much softer. “Wake up, baby girl. It's time to play.” 

All it took was one shake and Aurora was up and jumping on the bed, landing on limbs and chests. 

Pepper and May laughed as they walked out of the room. “Good luck, boys.” 

It took almost an hour, 3 little fists to their faces and 7 times of being jumped on before they finally got her settled enough to get her dressed. 

Oh yeah, this was definitely gonna be a long weekend. 

 

\---

 

It was almost 2 when they decided to go out by the lake. May and Pepper packed a picnic lunch while the guys put on their bathing suits. 

They were sitting on the lakeside and Aurora was sitting criss-cross applesauce in front of Tony as he blew up the floaties on her arms.

“Daddy,” she whined with a pout. “Why do I have to wear them? No one else is!” 

“Because you don't know how to swim yet, munchkin. And if you wanna go in the lake then you need to wear these.” Tony turned her around to pull the other one on and blow it up. When he was done, she stayed sitting. “C’mon, your brother will take you in.”

Peter walked over when he noticed that despite being excited about swimming all morning, she hadn't made a move to join them. Happy had already done a flip from the rope, nearly landing on Rhodey in the process.

He mimicked Aurora’s position as he took a seat next to her on the blanket. “What are you waiting here for, Rory? The water’s over there.” 

Aurora folded her little arms over her chest. “I'm a big girl. I don't need floaties to swim.” 

“But you do,” Peter said. “You don't know how to swim yet. Dad's just keeping you safe.” 

“Do  _ you?” _

“Sure do.”

Aurora stood up to face Tony. “I wanna learn to swim! Just like Petey!” 

“I'd be more than happy to get you swimming lessons, princess. But for now, you need to wear those,” Tony replied, raising an eyebrow, daring her to argue again. 

“But I don't wanna be the only one!” 

“What if wear a pair too?” Peter offered. 

Tony stared at him like he was crazy. Was he seriously going to wear tiny floaties on his arms so Aurora didn't have to wear hers alone? “Pete, you don't have to.”

But Aurora was already running to the beach bag and pulling out the extra pair Pepper had brought with them. She shoved them into Peter's arms. “Thank you, Petey!” 

He smiled at her, tapping her nose. “You're welcome, peanut.” Then he slid one on his arm and looked to Tony bashfully. “You mind blowing them up?” 

Tony rolled his eyes. “You're ridiculous. You know that right? We can't just give in to what she wants because she asks.” 

“I told you to stop reading parenting books,” Peter teased. 

“Watch out or I'll blow these too tight and cut off the circulation in your arms,” he warned as he moved the floaty down his arm. There was no way it was going to fit around his bicep after being blown up. 

“I'll get the other one!” Aurora shouted, suddenly happy again. Peter had that effect on her. He could always make her smile, no matter what. 

Together, they blew them up and before long, Aurora and Peter had matching pink floaties. May took another picture for the album. 

“Have fun, you two!” Pepper shouted with a laugh as they ran towards the edge of the lake. 

Aurora pointed to the rope. “I wanna swing like you, Petey!” 

Peter laughed as he scooped her up in his arms. Tony covered his mouth as he laughed at how ridiculous they both looked. But they were his pair of crazies. 

“Hold on tightly, Rory. We're gonna jump in, okay?” Peter pulled her close to his chest and held her there as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. She giggled as he grabbed the rope and back up for a running start. Then he ran and swung and all he heard was both of their laughter before they splashed into the water, bobbing right back up. 

Pepper took a seat next to Tony, placing her hand on his. “They're adorable,” she whispered, watching them splash in the water. 

Peter was pulling at the floaties and he was swimming slower because of them, but he never took them off. Not when they made Aurora so happy to have her big brother match her. 

Rhodey and Happy of course had to give him shit for them. It was their job to torment the kid. 

Aurora helped him get them back by splashing them little bursts of water. 

“We've got the best kids,” Tony commented as he watched Peter pull Aurora around the lake to help her swim fast as she giggled. 

May nodded at him from the other side of the blanket with a grin. “We sure do.”

 

\--

 

They packed up their lunch and head back inside the cabin just in time. Only a few minutes after they were settled in, it started raining outside. 

Almost 45 minutes later and it was still pouring, now thundering as well. Lightning flashed every so often. 

“Didn't know it was gonna storm tonight,” Happy said, taking a seat on the couch next to May. He took a chip from the bag she was eating out of. 

“I guess we'll have to move s’mores making to tomorrow night,” Tony sighed. 

“Don't be so blue, Tones. The kids have plenty to do inside. We can all play a board game.” Rhodey clapped him on the shoulder. “Marshmallows will be here tomorrow still.” 

As if they heard themselves being talked about, two loud sets of footsteps came rushing down the wooden stairs. 

“Ha!” Aurora was shouting. “I'm faster!” 

“You're a cheater!” Peter argued. “You used your cuteness against me!” 

Aurora giggled, running across the floor and jumping onto the couch to hide between Happy and May. “Shhh!” She whispered before ducking down. 

Peter was following close behind, looking around the room, searching for Aurora. “I know you're here, Rory.” 

There was a muffled giggle exactly where Aurora was hiding. Peter's eyes went there immediately and he grinned. Then he turned to Tony, “Hey, Mr. Stark...have you seen a little monster run in here? She's about the size of a peanut, strawberry blonde ringlets, big brown eyes.”

“Sounds like a real terror,” Tony answered in amusement. 

“Oh, she is,” Peter said. “The little devil said  _ Star Wars  _ is dumb and then ran away.” 

Happy laughed. “Your kid  _ is  _ a super genius.” 

“You know she's just teasing you,” Pepper said with a smile. “I saw her wrapping a sheet around herself to pretend to be Leia the other week.” 

“My kids are nerds.” Tony shook his head.

“And you're not?” Rhodey countered with a raised eyebrow.  _ “Anyway.  _ Kid, I saw her run into the kitchen. Why don't you check there?”

Rhodey winked at Peter and he grinned as he said loudly, “Thanks, Colonel Rhodes! I'll go check now!” He stomped his feet loudly but then tiptoed silently just behind the couch. 

A moment later, Aurora popped her head up. “Petey gone?” She pushed herself up and went to look around, but Peter grabbed her under the arms. 

“Gotcha!” He yelled in victory. “You're mine!” 

Aurora squealed and kicked her feet wildly. “No! Daddy save me! 

“Sorry, baby girl. Petey is not recognized as a threat.” Tony smiled watching as Peter hugged her tightly against his chest. She giggled so much she couldn't speak between them. 

“Alright, troublemakers,” Pepper said, “Time to get your PJs on.”

“What?” Aurora asked, breathlessly. “Thought we were gonna roast marshpillows!” 

“Marsh _ mallows,”  _ Peter corrected her with a smirk.

“We can't go out there now, princess. Look at how bad the rain is.” Tony gestured to the window that was being pelted with fat raindrops. 

“You'd probably blow away if you went out there,” Peter teased as he fixed his hold on her as she squirmed. 

“But what about Thumper?” Aurora asked, trying to leap from Peter’s arms as she reached for the front door. 

“Who’s Thumper, baby?” Pepper asked. 

“The cute bunny I saw today!” She said, worry obvious in her loud yell. 

“They bunny is fine, Rory,” Peter soothed, running his fingers through her ringlets. “The bunnies have places to hide when it rains, so they’re all safe.”

“How do you  _ know?”  _ She pressed because of course, she wasn’t like other four-year-olds that could believe everything adults told her. She had to explore the answers given to her and decide if truly was  _ the  _ answer. 

“Because my brain is bigger than yours,” he replied, tapping her on the nose. “And Thumper has a mommy and a daddy out there looking out for him.” 

“You don’t know that!” Aurora argued. “Not everyone has a mommy and a daddy! What if it’s just him?” 

Peter’s eyes darted from May to Tony and Tony knew exactly what the kid was thinking. It wasn’t Aurora’s fault; she didn’t understand that Peter wasn’t actually her brother and that he was just a boy living with his aunt. She didn’t know. 

He opened his mouth to save Peter from the conversation, but he spoke up first. His voice was soft. “Sure, not everyone’s got a mom and dad, but there’s still  _ someone  _ looking out for them. Everyone's got a family. I think Thumper will be just fine.” 

“You really think so?” Aurora asked, looking up at Peter. 

Peter gave her a small smile. “I know so, peanut.” He cleared this throat and looked around the room, noticing the somber looks everyone was giving him. “Now, what do you say we get our PJs on while the adults set up snacks and a board game?” 

Aurora perked up and wrapped her tiny arms around Peter's neck. “Yes! Sounds good!” 

Peter turned to Tony. “We'll be right back.” 

“I can get her dressed if you want,” Pepper offered. “She's been on you all day.” 

“I don't mind,” he assured her. “We’ll be down in a few minutes.” 

Tony watched them leave and once they disappeared up the stairs, Pepper said to May, “I'm sorry for Aurora.” 

May frowned, flicking Happy when he tried to keep eating her chips. “Why’re you apologizing? She's just a kid and Peter is okay. Don’t worry.” 

“Yeah.” Tony grinned. “Like the kid said, he's got a family.”

 

\---

 

Almost fifteen minutes later, Peter came down the stairs wearing a pair of flannel pajama pants and a science t-shirt. He looked around at everything they had set up and smiled. Tony looked behind him, waiting for Aurora to follow close behind like she always did. 

Peter was walking over to where Pepper was bringing a tray of hot coco to the small table in the living room. Tony frowned when Aurora was still nowhere to be seen. “Hey, Pete,” Tony called and waited for him to turn around and face him before continuing, “Where’s Aurora?”

Peter paused. “Isn’t she down here? She said she was coming down while I ran to the bathroom. Why? She’s not done here?” 

Tony looked around the room and looked for his daughter. Rhodey was with May in the kitchen, Happy was on the couch, turning on a movie. Pepper was with Peter. But Aurora was nowhere to be seen. 

Peter put the mugs on the table and hurried to Tony’s side, grabbing his arm. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re going to find her. You gotta breathe-- Tony,  _ breathe.”  _

Tony didn’t even realize he was panicking until Peter pointed it out. Then it was almost impossible to take in a breath. 

Pepper was running back up the stairs, calling Aurora’s name. May was at her heels. 

“She didn’t-- I didn’t see her come down.”

“She’s probably upstairs then, Tones,” Rhodey said, trying to calm him down too. 

_ But how was Tony supposed to calm down when he couldn’t find his daughter? _

“She’s not up here!” Pepper yelled, rushing down the steps. 

“Uh, guys,” Happy said by the doorway. “Her shoes are missing.”

“Fuck,” Tony cursed. “She went outside.  _ Fuck.” _

Peter was already rushing to pull his jacket and shoes on. “I’ll get her-- I’ll bring her back.” 

Happy grabbed his coat. “Right behind you, kid.” 

“I’m coming too-- I’ve gotta get her too.” Tony rubbed his wrist as Rhodey showed him towards the door. 

“Go,” May said, “We’re gonna stay and wait here in case she comes back.” 

Pepper caught Tony in a hug before he got out the door. “Get our baby, Tony. Bring her back.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Oh, I will,” Tony said before hurrying out into the pouring rain. He looked around and could barely see anything in the dark until he pulled out his cell phone and activated the flashlight. The others followed suit. 

“Our best bet is to split up,” Rhodey said. “Happy and I will cover the North side and you get over there. If you find her, call the others. Good luck.” They were gone in a moment, calling out Aurora’s name. 

Peter turned the other way and screamed as loud as he could, “Rory! Rory, where are you?” There wasn’t an answer, not that Tony was expecting one. 

“Princess, where are you?” Tony joined in with the yelling, his wide eyes searching everywhere. He was waiting to see her yellow sneakers or her purple jacket. “Baby girl!” He cried, rubbing his face with his hand to get rid of the raindrops. 

“We’re going to find her, Tony. Don’t worry,” Peter said, running up to Tony’s side as they both hurried. 

“Yeah, we better fucking find her,” he snapped. Peter flinched, taking a step to the side and Tony immediately felt guilty. “Shit. I’m sorry, Pete. I’m just worried. I’m so fucking worried.” Two f-bombs in the span of a minute-- he was definitely more than upset. 

They continued searching, only talking to shout Aurora’s name. When they were heading towards the more heavily wooded area. “Check under the trees,” Tony said. “Maybe she curled up underneath one to get some shelter from the rain.”

Peter nodded. A moment later, he said hesitantly, “Mr. Stark, I’m really sorry.” 

Tony wanted to stop and look at Peter to figure out what was wrong because he knew that tone in his voice. Something was wrong-- besides for the missing child. But he couldn’t pause even for a second. It could mean life or death for Aurora. “Why are you apologizing?”

“I was the one watching her. I should have done a better job at keeping an eye on her.” His voice was frantic as he shined his flashlight the grass by trees. 

“Oh, Pete, don’t apologize. You were going to the bathroom, for Christ’s sake. She’s my daughter. Not your responsibility.” Tony shook his head. “If anything, I should be the one to blame. Who lets their kid sneak out and get lost without even realizing it?” 

Peter’s voice was hard when he said, “Don’t say that, Mr. Stark. Kids get away. You know Aurora. It was a mistake and that’s it.” 

Tony scoffed bitterly. “Yeah, you tell CPS that during their first visit.” 

“Mr. Stark, this wasn’t your fault either. We’re going to find her and it’s all going to be okay.” 

Tony rubbed a hand over his face again, wiping off the tears now along with raindrops. “I can’t believe this is happening. This is every parent’s worst nightmare. She’s gone and it’s pouring and dark-- she’s probably terrified.” 

“She’s going to be fine. She’s a brave girl. You know how many times she comes into  _ my  _ room to check the closet for ghosts?” Peter chuckled softly. “Hell, in the lake today she…” Peter trailed off, his eyes widening. He looked up at Tony and said, “The lake.” 

Tony didn’t waste another second before running to the lake, Peter right by his side. They ran through the rain and continued screaming Aurora’s name. They made it to the exact spot where they were having lunch earlier that day when Tony saw something. It was the most beautiful and the most terrifying sight Tony had ever seen. 

There was little Aurora standing in the mud in her bright purple jacket, crouching only a foot away from the edge of the lake. 

“Aurora!” Tony screamed, his throat protesting the way it ripped through. 

Aurora looked up with a smile, her red hair plastered to her head. “Daddy I found Thump--.” She didn’t get the chance to finish before a strike of lightning had her jump in fright and fall backward into the lake. 

Before Tony could even comprehend what he was seeing, Peter was running forward and diving into the lake. Tony cursed so many times in one breath they didn’t sound like actual words anymore. He heard feet behind him, but he didn’t stop to turn around. It was probably Rhodey and Happy-- maybe they heard the screaming, maybe they were already on their way. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that his sister just fell into the lake and Peter dove in after her and neither came back up yet. 

“Tony, please tell me she’s not,” Rhodey said, breathing heavy as he came to a running stop beside him. 

“She fell-- I tried to get her attention and then-- she was scared and she fell and Peter followed her in.” His eyes were darting across the water searching for his kids. He couldn’t lose both of them. He saw Aurora fall and it was terrifying, but then Peter was following her without hesitation. 

“That kid is as stubborn as a bull and he loves your little girl more than anything. He’ll get her.”

“Happy’s right,” Rhodey said. “They’re both--.”

Peter came splashing up from the water, gasping with a small bundle tucked against his chest. Tony leaned over so far he would have fallen in if Rhodey didn’t hold him back. “Aurora. Aurora. Aurora,” he said, pulling her out of Peter’s arms. Her eyes were closed. She wasn’t breathing. Tony sobbed as he held his limp baby girl to his chest. 

Then she was being pulled from his arms and laid on the ground. Rhodey started pressing against her chest and leaning down to breathe for her. Tony could barely see them through the tears. “Save her-- Rhodey. Save my baby.” 

“I’m sorry,” he heard Peter gasp. “I tried-- if I was too late, I’m sorry.  _ I’m sorry.”  _

“Hey, shh, kid,” Happy whispered soothingly, rubbing Peter’s back as he laid on his side, choking out lake water. “It’s not your fault, Pete. She’s okay. Just-- breathe.” 

Tony could hear the fear in his voice. He squeezed his eyes shut and he knew he was a shit excuse of a father-- one of his kids was unconscious and not breathing and the other was coughing up water as he had a panic attack. And Tony could do nothing but kneel in the mud, rain pouring down on him, unable to move. 

“Please,” he mumbled and found himself  _ praying _ . “Please be okay, baby. Please.” 

“I’m sorry, Rory,” Peter sobbed, pushing himself to his hands and knees to try and crawl closer. Happy held his arm to help him. 

There was a sudden cough that had Tony’s head snapping up and staring at Rhodey turning Aurora on her side so she could spit out the water she inhaled. He fell forward in a rush to get to her and once Rhodey helped her cough out as much as she could, he pulled her into his arms. She stuck her face into his chest, sobbing. “D-daddy.”

Tony hushed her gently. “It’s okay, baby. Daddy’s got you.” 

“She’s okay?” Peter asked, leaning his weight against Happy, shivering as he continued to get more soaked. 

“Yeah,” Tony said breathlessly, feeling the adrenaline crash coming soon. “She’s okay all because of you.” 

“That’s good,” Peter said, slouching against Happy’s side and Happy started slapping his cheek lightly. 

“Hey, now,” Happy said, trying to keep Peter’s eyes open. “No checking out. Stay with us.” 

“We’re gonna need to get them both checked out. Dry drowning is still possible after they’re okay-- and pneumonia or hypothermia. All things we still have to worry about.” 

Tony stood up shakily. “Yeah. One of you call the compound and have the doctors prepped and ready. We’re only an hour or so out. Looks like vacation is getting cut short.” 

“Sorry,” Peter muttered. 

“This isn’t your fault, Peter,” Rhodey said. 

“P-Petey,” Aurora whined, grabbing tightly to Tony’s t-shirt. 

“Petey’s here, baby,” Tony whispered. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re both gonna be okay. We’re gonna wrap you both up in blankets and keep you nice and warm-- and you know what else? You’re staying away from all bodies of water. Forever. I’m tired of dragging my kids out of them.”

“What if I wanna go swimmin’?” Peter blinked lethargically as he spoke. 

“I’ve got plenty of bathtubs. Pick one and fill it up. Go crazy.” 

Peter rolled his eyes, probably not wanting to waste any energy on speaking. 

Tony wrapped an arm around him and pulled him close. “Thank you,” Tony whispered in his ear softly. “Thank you so much.” 

Peter gave him a small smile. “Nothing can or will ever stop me from saving her.  _ Nothing _ .”

Those were the most beautiful words Tony could ever hear. “I know...that’s one of the many reasons why she’s lucky to have a big brother like you.” 


	2. under fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is shiiittt i barely read through it bc i wasn't liking it and already deleted it a few times to start over sooooo here you go i hope it's not too bad.  
> yikes it totally probably is gross i'll quit now

“I can’t believe you’re leaving me!” Tony said as he watched Aurora hurry across the floor to Peter. Her princess suitcase was rolling behind her, barely able to keep up.

“Don’t be such a drama queen, Tony. It’s only for one night.” Peter rolled his eyes, taking Aurora’s hand when she reached for him. 

Tony turned on him to wave a finger in his direction. “Don’t even get me started on  _ you _ . You’ve got a perfect room right in the tower and yet, you’re still going to live here?”

Peter rolled his eyes. He didn’t expect Tony to really understand the need for him to have something of his own. He’d had a guaranteed job in Stark Industries before he graduated high school, he had that spot in MIT even if he didn’t meet their expectations...and for once, he just wanted to do something himself. Like buy his first apartment out of college. “It’s only Queens. A twenty minute drive-- you could probably make it to my apartment in two minutes if you really wanted to.”

“You bet your ass I will be. My babies are here.”

There was a time that the endearment would have made him flustered. But that was over six years ago. That was before Aurora. Now, it was normal. “Well, your babies are fine. We’re gonna play board games and eat pizza.”

“Come on, honey, let’s let them have their special night so we can have ours,” Pepper said, grabbing Tony’s hand to pull him from out the apartment doorway. 

“Yeah, Tony. Maybe Rory wants a baby sibling.” He wiggled his eyebrows and the way Tony’s eyebrows shut up into his hairline was hilarious. 

“Okay. Bite your tongue, young man. You are not to make those kinds of jokes-- you are a child.”

“Tony, I’m 22.”

“And I have my hands full enough as it is already with you two.” 

Peter laughed as Aurora crossed her arms. “I don’t want a baby brother or sister!”

Pepper laughed at her softly. “I’m sure you don’t, princess. But don’t worry, you’re going to be our baby. No more.”

“My children are so  _ needy,”  _ Tony said to Peter in a low voice. 

_ “Tony,”  _ Peter said. 

“Okay, I gotcha. We’re going. You will not hear from us anymore. Except when I call before bedtime to make sure you’re both alright.”

“We’re spending the night in my apartment, not the jungle.” Sure, there was no food in the house yet and none of the boxes were emptied, but it was still habitable. Tony hadn’t let him sign the contract until he had checked it over with his seal of approval. 

“Come say goodbye to Mommy and Daddy,” Pepper said to Aurora, as a way to speed them on their way. 

Aurora came barreling back into her awaiting arms. “Love you, Mommy! I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Love you, too, baby.” She pressed a kiss to Aurora’s forehead before the little girl turned to her father. 

He kneeled down to reach her eye-level, and Peter would laugh at the wince he made, but that one was too real. Just a reminder of Tony getting older and older every day. “You be good for your big brother, okay? Listen to every word he tells you. Pete’s in charge.”

“I promise! I’ll be my best ‘havior!” Aurora nodded her head, bouncing in excitement. 

Tony’s face softened. “I know you will be. Have fun, okay?”

Aurora wrapped her arms around him tightly. “I will, Daddy! I love you so much!”

Tony stood up after hugging his daughter tightly and then she turned around and ran into the small apartment, already getting into whatever Peter had lying around. “Hey, if it gets too much, you know I’m a phone call away.”

“I know, Tony...but I think we’ll be fine.” He glanced back at where Aurora was pulling her coloring book and crayons out of her suitcase. “It’ll be just like our Tower sleepovers.”

“I know you’ll be fine...I trust her her with you more than anyone...it’s just…”

Tony was never good at emotions and even though he’d gotten better over the years, Peter knew he’d rather avoid it. He gave him a small smile and shook his head. “It’s okay, Mr. Stark. You don’t have to explain it to me.” 

Peter knew that was the right thing to say because Tony looked at him with a grateful smile before he straightened his shoulders and sniffed. “Alright, kiddos, Mom and Dad better be going now before they miss they miss their  _ reservation _ .”

“Have fun,” Peter said. “You deserve the break.”

 

They finally said their actual goodbyes and Peter shut the door. He turned to Aurora, who was la---ying on his couch, scribbling in her coloring book. “I thought Mom and Dad were never gonna leave.”

She barely looked up. “It was the first day of kindergarten all over again.”

Peter laughed loudly as he made his way over to her. He didn’t care that he was 22-years-old and he spent most of his time with a first grader. She was Peter’s best friend and when they hung out, he barely noticed the age difference. “Sorry we’ve got no TV or anything. I’m not even moved in yet.”

She shut her book closed and jumped to her feet. “That’s okay, Petey!” She whirled around, looking at everything in amazement even though there were nothing but empty walls and brown boxes. “It’s so cool you’ve got your own home! You can eat jellybeans for dinner and pee with the door open!”

Peter laughed so hard, he felt his eyes tear up. Being a child was so much simpler. “You want a tour of it?”

“Yeah!” She grabbed his hand and stood on his foot so she could catch a ride without being lifted up. 

He laughed and started the tour, although it could barely be considered a tour. “We are in the living room!” He turned to the left. “That’s my kitchen!”

“That’s not a kitchen, Petey.”

“What are you talking about? Sure it is!” He said, very protective of his first apartment. 

“You don’t have a dishwasher or an oven!”

“Excuse me, Princess Stark, I  _ am _ the dishwasher. And I have a microwave and a stovetop. So, ha.”

“That means you’ll at least be coming over for dinner a lot.”

Peter laughed, swooping down to lift her off his foot and into his arms. “Are you kidding? I’m fresh out of college and broke. Going to Mom and Dad’s means free food.”

“And me,” she said, uncertainly. 

He kissed her temple and agreed, “And you.” 

They walked down the small hallway that only led to three doors. One was a small closet, one was a just as small bathroom, and the last was his bedroom. 

“It’s so empty,” Aurora noted, looking around at the bare room. “All you have is a bed and a dresser.”

“It’s gonna be much cooler when I move everything in. Star Wars posters, a giant fish tank, and shelves and shelves for my Legos!”

“I’m gonna build you a special one as a welcoming present.” 

“There’s two boxes full of them in the living room,” he said with a grin. “Maybe we’ll get the chance to put one together.”

“Yes! You need more decoration!”

“I’ve already started decorating-- wanna see?” He asked, loving how excited she was getting as she nodded her head rapidly. He carried her over to the dresser where he had a small picture frame sitting. He lifted it up and let her hold it. It was a picture of Ben from years ago, smiling down at Peter as he cooked something in the kitchen. It was blurry and unfocused and he was out of frame slightly, but Peter still adored it.

“It’s the first picture I ever took with a camera of my own. Ben and May got me a polaroid for my 12th birthday. It’s my favorite.”

“It’s so pretty!”

Peter laughed. “Thanks, peanut.”

“I think it’s a perfect start to decorating!”

“So do I,” he said softly as he put it back down. “He would have loved you, you know. Woulda loved you like his own daughter. He was good at that-- making you feel like you’re his kid, even if you’re not. You know?”

“Yeah!” Aurora said even though she didn’t. Peter loved his conversations with his little sister; he could literally tell her anything. She heard most of secrets, even the ones he never breathed a word about to the therapists Tony set him up with. She never knew how serious and deep he got sometimes and he feared the day when she was old enough to understand what he told her...but maybe, she’d be that person for Peter to go to...probably not though. He didn’t want her to have to deal with his issues. Once she was too old to stay naive about everything he said (because the last thing he needed was Aurora telling Tony that Peter was having nightmares), he’d go back to talking to the picture of Ben. Pathetic. Yeah…

“Petey!”

Peter blinked, realizing Aurora was clapping her hands, trying to get his attention. 

“Oh- sorry. What’d you say?”

“Dinner time? I’m starving!”

“How does pizza from Gaby’s?” 

“Delicious!”

 

They pigged out on two pies-- well, Peter eats about a full pie, Aurora eats almost two full slices, and they stick the rest in the refrigerator. At least he had food in the apartment now. Then, they pulled out his comforters and pillows from one of the boxes labeled  _ bedroom  _ and made a giant pile of  them on the floor to lay down in. They spent a few hours building a Lego set from  _ The Little Mermaid.  _ They shared the same favorite Disney princess, not that anyone but Aurora needed to know  _ that.  _

Peter was finishing up the last of it while Aurora laid across his back twirling his hair. She was getting sleepy. “How come Mommy and Daddy didn’t name me after a cooler princess? Like Ariel or Rapunzel!”

“You weren’t named after a princess, squirt.”

“Who else is named Aurora?” She asked in slight distaste.

“My best friend’s name is Aurora. Rory for short.” 

“Peter,” she said, obviously not happy with his response; she called him  _ Peter  _ and not  _ Petey.   _

“You were named after the aurora borealis. The Northern Lights.”

“I was named after lights? That’s dumb.” Aurora sounded like she was pouting, but Peter smiled. She didn’t know about that night almost 7 years ago when Peter sat with her father, calming him down from a panic attack. The lights had calmed him. She didn’t know, but Peter could never forget. Sometimes it felt like just yesterday...other times it felt like it was another lifetime ago. 

“You’ll understand one day, Rory.”

She sighed heavily as sh rolled off his back into a lump of blankets. “You sound like Dad.”

“Oh, really? Well, thank you for the compliment!” He laughed, wrapping his arm around her so she could snuggle up close to his side.

“It’s not a comp--compl’ament...I was making fun of you for being like an adult. Boring and old.”

“Well, I am an adult,” he replied with a raised eyebrow. 

Aurora shook her head. “You talk to me, you like building Legos, and you’re laying in a blanket fort with me. That makes you a kid. You’re a kid, just like me. Daddy says you’re his baby too.”

Peter paused his work on the underwater Lego scene and thought about her words. Sure he was 22. He had graduated from college and he could drink and he had his own apartment...he was expected to start building his career, making a family now...but the truth was, all of that terrified him. He didn’t want to be 22. He wanted to be 16 again. He wanted to be a kid that only had to worry about getting a chance to watch Star Wars with Ned before they had to study for some test. 

“Well, if we’re both kiddies then I think it’s well past our bedtime.”

“What?” Aurora asked, trying to sit up, but Peter kept her glued to his side. “Why can’t we stay up all night?”

“Because we both need sleep. And we need energy for tomorrow-- if we get to the bakery a few blocks down before 9, the pastries are still warm.”

Aurora groaned in defeat as she got more comfortable next to him. “Fiiiineee.”

Peter grinned as he put the Legos aside and laid down to curl up next to her. He always loved the way she could fit in his arms, against his chest and he could hold her close, protecting her from the entire world. He kissed the top of her head and whispered, “Goodnight, Rory.”

“Night, Petey.”

 

He fell asleep to the sound of her soft snores.

He woke up to the sound of crackling.

And screams. 

 

Aurora was still tucked in his arms. That was bad. Danger was near-- he could feel it. She was too close. She had to be safe. He had to get her out of here. He blinked his eyes open and the heat was the first thing he noticed. Even after he kicked the blankets off of them, it was sweltering. They were Icarus. Too close to the sun. 

Around him, he could could barely see anything. There was too much smoke. He’d done enough saving people from home fires as Spider-Man to know that was exactly what was happening. The apartment building was on fire. And Aurora was inside. 

He had never snapped into alert quicker than this moment. He shook her shoulder until she was finally waking up. “Rory, get up.” She shoved his hand away. “Aurora!”

His stern voice had her finally alert. “Peter...what’s wrong?”

He lifted her up to her feet as he stood up. He leaned down to grab her stuffed spider and shoved it into her hands before pushing her towards the window. By the looks of the front door...that’s where the flames were hiding behind. 

“We need to climb down the fire escape, okay?”

“Pe--Petey…”

He kneeled down and met her eyes. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re brave. We’re gonna be okay. You’ve just gotta go. I’ll be right behind you.” Yes, he wanted to stay back and help everyone else trapped inside, but that could wait until after Aurora was down on the ground safely and he could throw his suit on. The mask would help filter the air at least because he was already having a hard time breathing. 

“Just go thr--.”

“Peter, wait!” And then she was gone. She was taking off in the opposite direction of safety. 

“Aurora Maria Stark!” He screamed, feeling a lot like Tony when she left her Lego pieces around for his bare feet to find. But much ngriers. Much more terrified. He took off in the direction she went and heard her calling his name in his bedroom. He could barely see past all the smoke, but she was shorter; it was probably easier for her since it all rose. So he got on his knees and started crawling. “Aurora!”

There she was, finally turning around to face him, stuffie in one hand and a picture frame in the other. Not just any. The picture of Ben. His favorite. His voice softened when he realized why she had run. “Rory…”

“I got it, Petey! Don’t worry!”

Except, his Spidey sense tell him to worry because the next moment, there was a loud creak and Peter knew he had to move fast. He dove across the room, shoving Aurora out of the way. She hit the wall with a thud, but it was better than being in her previous spot because the floor above them caved in. Peter let out a low howl of pain when he felt his leg snap as something heavy landed on it. Aurora was back up on her feet, screaming his name and rushing forward 

“Stay back!” He yelled, shoving the piece of wood off of him. Before he even attempted to put weight on his foot, he knew the leg was at least fractured, probably broken. He cried out and stumbled, catching himself on the bed. Aurora was immediately by his side. There were tears in her voice. “I’m s-sorry, Petey! Are you okay?”

He did his best to put on his brave face for her. “I’m fine, peanut, but we gotta go. Now.” He took her in his arms and started to hurry to the door. The adrenaline and need to get his little sister to safety drowned out the numbing pain of his leg. 

There was danger again, this time just ahead of them...their only way out...a part of the ceiling fell again, blocking their path. Peter stopped just before the wood would have crushed them. “Fuck!” He cursed over a cough. He didn’t worry about Aurora picking up on the language. Right now, if they got out of this alive and safe, Peter would  _ love  _ to get chewed out by Pepper and Tony for teaching her the f-word. 

“Peter, what are we gonna do?” She was crying steadily by now and the tears were making identical trails on her cheeks. 

“We’re gonna get out.” He kneeled down, wincing at the pain. He put her to the ground; it was better down here anyway if they weren’t running to safety. He ripped off a long strip of his shirt, looking around the room, hoping it was still in here...there! On his dresser was an almost empty water bottle he had left in here while moving in boxes. He crawled over and quickly grabbed the bottle and went back to Aurora’s side. 

“That’s not enough--,” she cut herself off, coughing. 

“it’s not to put the fire out,” he said, unscrewing the cap and soaking the strip of cloth in water. He hoped it worked. Before Aurora could ask another question, he offered it to her. He took the small picture frame so she had a free hand. “You need to cover your mouth when you breathe. This should help.”

“What about you?”

“I’m Spider-Man, remember? This doesn’t bother me.” Peter had never lied to her before, so she believed it. She took the ripped cloth and pressed it against her face. Peter could breathe a little easier knowing she was at least a bit safer-- well, not actually breathe easier, but the relief was noticeable. 

Then he turned to the pile up of debris in front of the door. He didn’t see any hole small enough for even Aurora to fit through. And behind them, by the window, the floor had fallen through. There wasn’t anywhere for them to go. They were stuck. 

“Rory, you have to listen to me, okay?” 

She nodded her head, wide eyes overflowing with tears and fright. 

“We’re going to be saved--.”

“By Daddy?”

Peter paused. “Maybe. But...I hear the firefighters. They’re on their way. If I try to dislodge anything-- I’m afraid the floor will collapse beneath us. I don’t know where the fire is. I just know it’s not here yet. So as long as we sit tight and you keep that cloth over your mouth, we’re going to be okay.”

Aurora nodded her head, terrified but trusting Peter’s words 100%. He laid down and pulled her close, just like last night. She curled up tight and buried her face in his chest. He hoped they were found in time. He knew they had to be saved because Tony Stark,  _ Iron Man,  _ would never let this happen. 

He was coming. Of course he was. 

 

\--

 

Of course Tony and Pepper couldn’t just enjoy a date night. That was too simple. Sitting on the couch with their plates balanced on their laps wasn’t eventful enough. So, of course, after their plates had been cleared and they were paying more attention to each other’s lips than to the wine glasses, FRIDAY had to interrupt them. 

_ “Sir, I suggest turning on the news.” _

Tony pulled away from Pepper, refraining from rolling his eyes. “FRI, what did I say about being such a cockblock?” Pepper laughed. 

_ “Sir, I think you want to see this.”  _

Tony groaned and waved his hand at the TV, signalling her to turn it on. And when it did...any plans he had in mind for the night were thrown out the window when he saw the image on the screen. 

An apartment building in flames. In Queens. Tony had done enough research to know that was Peter’s apartment. He was off the couch and calling for a suit immediately. He was officially retired as Iron Man and didn’t wear the nanobots anymore, but he always had them accessible just in case. 

Now was definitely one of those times. 

“Pepp--.”

“Go,  _ go!  _ Happy and I will follow you in a car.  _ Just go.” _

 

Peter had joked about making the ride in two minutes. He wished that was true. 

Instead, it took him six minutes and thirty-two seconds. 

He hit the ground and immediately made his way to the nearest fire truck. He saw who looked to be the captain and said, “I need to get in there.”

The FDNY Captain looked surprised to see Iron Man at a random fire in Queens. “Um, I’m sorry, sir, but we’re still not sure--.”

“I said I  _ need  _ to go in there,” Tony repeated. 

The captain seemed to stand his ground. “Well, I’m sorry, sir, but no one is going in there except for my men and we already think it’s too dangerous for them.”

“With all due respect, Captain, I’m just as trained for this shit as any of your men are.” He wasn’t. He had no idea how to properly enter a burning building or what to look for or how to stay safe, but he could figure it out. “And my kids are in there.”

“If you go in there, you could bring down the entire building!”

“I’m sorry maybe you didn’t hear me the first time, but my kids are in there!” He yelled, panic taking over. He would fight anyone he had to to get in there. “Now, I can either follow your rules and help you or I can find my own way in. You choose.”

The captain hesitated. “Fine-- but you do as I say and nothing else.”

It was better than nothing, Tony decided. So he took the deal and went in with the next round of firefighters. He helped carry almost a dozen unconscious people out of the building but still not his kids. 

He was about to pester the captain to start going up to higher flights when the ground shook and there was a small explosion behind them. Tony’s eyes widened and he waited for nobody before he was fly back inside. A section of the building’s window had exploded, but he hoped Peter apartment was okay. Okay enough for Peter and Aurora to be there-- waiting. 

He fly through the lower floors, making sure not to dislodge any wood so he didn’t send the upper floors crashing down. He knew where Peter’s apartment was-- 5C, but it was harder to find when there was barely anything left. 

“Peter! Aurora!” He listened intently, but all he heard in response was the crackling of the flames. 

He continued on until he saw what looked to be left of Peter’s door. He flew through and yeah, this empty apartment was Peter’s. He terrified to lift anything because what if they were stuck underneath or what if it upset the balance everything had. So he hovered over the floor, only setting down when necessary. They weren’t in the living room, but the hall was blocked by debris...maybe that’s why they hadn’t gotten out-- they were stuck. 

He hurried through, having to run through flames and attempting to not ruin the pile or add anymore holes in the floor. He got through just in time for more puzzles to work through. Spots not to step on, fires to avoid...all while trying to find his kids. “Pete! Aurora!” Still nothing. He started muttering curses under his breath, about to give up in the bedroom when his eyes caught sight of something red that wasn’t fire.

Aurora. That was Aurora’s hair. 

He never moved so fast--why was she on the ground? Where was Peter?

He fell to his knees beside her and both of his questions were answered when he saw she was being held close to Peter-- both of them unconscious. 

“FRIDAY, scan,  _ now!”  _

After a few long seconds, she reported back that they were alive, but needed medical attention immediately. He went to scoop Aurora up first, but he couldn’t get her to budge. Peter wasn’t letting her move. He groaned and went to try and rouse Peter enough to loosen his spidey grip. But he wasn’t waking. He grunted once and Tony used the quick moment to tug Aurora into his arms. She was limp and he had to make sure to grab Penny, her stuffed spider, as she fell from her arms. There was a ash stained cloth covering her face that he no doubt that Peter put there for her. 

As strong as the suit was, there was no way he was going to be able to carry Peter and Aurora at the same time. So, he pulled Aurora in close and whispered to Peter, “I’ll be right back, buddy. Just bringing down your sister.” 

Then he was flying through the smoke and flames, guarding Aurora close to his chest. She started to mumble and stir awake when they hit fresh air. “Pe...Peter.”

“Petey’s okay, baby girl,” Tony said, close to tears. “I’ve just got to get you safe.”

He landed on the ground and handed her off to the nearest ambulance. “Aurora Stark. Take care of her. If Pepper Stark or Happy Hogan come asking about her, make sure they know she’s here.”

He retracted his mask to give her a small smile as he brushed his hand through her dirty hair. “I’ll be right back, baby.”

He put his mask back on and turned around to fly right back through the window he came through. But someone grabbed him arm. “Sir, I can’t let you go back in. It’s unstable and the building could collapse within any second.”

Tony growled, shaking the hand off of him. “Then I better hurry and get my kid before it’s too late.” Then he was off again. 

He flew into the window and right to where Peter was still waiting, unconscious and unknowing to how close he was to death. Tony kneeled by him, checking his body over to make sure he wasn’t trapped under anything. Then he begin to lift him up. “Told you I’d be back, Pete. Gonna get you safe.”

As he was lifting Peter, he noticed a glimmer from the ground and saw a small picture frame. Tony recognized it immediately and picked it up. If they could only salvage one thing of Peter’s, he was glad it was his picture. 

Tony held him close, just like he was 15-years-old again and not the much taller and heavier man-kid (because calling Peter a man would  _ never  _ feel right) he was today. He didn’t make any signs of being alive like Aurora did. Even once they were outside, Peter was just as unresponsive. 

He didn’t even make a sound until he was in an ambulance close to Aurora’s and a paramedic had an oxygen mask over his mouth. His face was black from the ash except for two small paths where Peter had let his tears fall. He moaned, his eyes fluttering behind his closed eyelids. Tony hushed him quietly, brushing his bangs from his forehead. “You’re okay, Petey. It’s okay.”

He started mumbling behind the mask something that Tony couldn’t understand. “Shhh, it’s okay. Don’t worry.” 

He kept shaking his head, trying to fight against the paramedics that were trying to hold him down. 

“You’re okay, buddy,” Tony reassured him.

He started struggling more, his eyes widening now in panic. 

Tony held onto his shoulders, putting himself in Peter’s line of sight. “Peter, it’s okay. You’re okay.  _ Aurora  _ is okay.”

The moment he said those three words, Peter collapsed on the stretcher, his eyes falling shut again. 

Tony leaned in close to whisper, “Thank you.” 

Just barely behind his oxygen mask, he saw him smile.

Tony told him one more time, just so he knew, “Aurora is okay. Because of you.”

Peter nodded and Tony knew what he was saying. As long as Peter was there, Aurora would always be safe. 


	3. the game plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter takes Aurora to a birthday party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> remember game plan? i shoulda known i was a whumper when i was a kid bc THAT scene was always my favorite

“We're pulling up now,” Peter said as he parked the car in one of the last free spots.

Tony’s voice filled the car as he spoke to him over a Bluetooth phone call. “Thank you so much again, Pete.” 

“Remember you owe me one next time we wanna eat out. I'm picking where we eat.” Peter said, shutting the engine off. He could hear Aurora excitedly unbuckling her seat belt. 

“I'll see you both later tonight and we'll go out to give Pep some more peace and quiet.”

“Sounds good. Okay, Mr. Stark, I'll call you later. If I don't get her in now, she'll run in herself.”

Tony laughed. “Alright, buddy. You two have fun.” He hung up, not keeping him any longer because he knew Peter had his hands full. 

Right on cue, she started shaking his seat. “Petey! Come on!” 

“Okay, Rory. Hold your horses.” He grabbed the large gift bag off the passenger seat and started heading out of the car. Aurora was right behind him, catching up with him to grab his free hand. 

“I'm so excited!” 

Peter smiled down at her. He was never invited to birthday parties like this. The only time he was invited was when the kid had to invite the entire class. When he met Ned, they had their own parties of two, but that wasn't much different from their normal hanging out. Just more cake. 

Aurora had the same trouble with friends. She was too smart, too quirky, too different. The kids were too young to understand the importance of being a Stark.

Peter dreaded the day her classmates did and used her for it. 

He just wanted her to be normal. 

 

But walking into the building, Peter saw that wasn't true. Aurora Stark wasn’t normal and she never would be. There was a table decorated in all pink with balloons and flowers with a group of girls all gathered around laughing and talking. They didn't turn to look at Aurora when she ran in or greet her because no one was waiting for her. 

She didn’t seem to mind as she took her own spot at the table, in front of a snack bowl. 

Peter watched her, waiting to see if she even knew she obviously wasn't wanted at this party. she didn’t seem to. 

She saw him staring and waved with a smile. She seemed happy with her snacks, but Peter hoped at least one girl said hello. 

No one did. 

And Peter even felt a little like Aurora in this place too. This was his first time subbing in for Pepper and Tony with something like this. He didn't recognize any of the moms here and they all seemed to be in their own little groups just like their daughters, not giving him a second glance.

He stood at the side, fidgeting with the bag in his hand until a woman approached him. Her eyes flicked down the the present before she looked at him. “Tony Stark’s daughter?” 

Peter clenched his jaw and said, “Her name is Aurora.”

“Oh, of course. Aurora. We're happy to have her here. Madison was worrying she wasn't gonna make it.”

Peter glanced to the table where not one girl was talking to Aurora. “Oh, I'm sure.” 

“I'll take that from you,” she said, reaching for the gift. Peter handed it over. 

“Thanks…”

“Where is Pepper?” 

“Sick.” 

“And Tony?” She asked, name dropping him too, as if they were friends. 

“Working.” 

“Oh,” she said, looking a little disappointed. “And you are?” 

“Peter. Her older brother.” 

She blinked. “Oh-- I didn’t know.” 

_ Because it’s not your business.  _ He smiled to keep those words from coming out. He just smiled without saying a word.

“Well, I better put this by the others. You can sit wherever you want. Introduce yourself to the ladies if you'd like.” 

Peter smiled and waited for her to walk away before taking a seat at the table across from Aurora. 

“You're at the kiddie table, Petey?” Aurora asked, stuffing a handful of chips in her mouth. 

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “Here is more fun anyway.” 

She giggled and pushed over one of the bowls to him. He reached in and started eating along with her. 

 

Thankfully, it didn't take long before they started to play their games. Aurora didn't mind not having a buddy to play along with as she colored things in. She seemed to get along with the girls if needed. She was happy to play with them, not realizing they were avoiding her. 

When she was distracted he pulled out his phone and started to text Ned. He was just texting him a confirmation of getting pizza that weekend when Aurora came running over. “Petey!”

Peter locked his phone and caught her in his arms as she came running over. “Petey, I need you!” 

“For what?” She didn't seem hurt or in danger so he didn't let himself get worried. 

“I  _ need  _ you. C’mon! Stop texting your boyfriend!” 

Peter’s cheeks flushed as he stuffed the phone in his pocket. “I wasn't talking to Ned. I was talking to Dad.”

She gave him a smirk. “Don't lie to your little sister, Petey. You were making your lovey face.” 

“Oh shush. What do you need my help with?” He asked, looking behind her to see the other girls all sitting in pairs. 

“I need a partner!” 

Peter felt his heart drop. Of course, there was an even amount not including her. He gave her a smile, hoping it wasn't as shaky as it felt. “Alright, princess. Let's go.” He stood up and she grabbed his hand, dragging him to the two free chairs sitting across from each other. He should have paid more attention to the small tables next to the chairs. “Uh, what's this?” 

Aurora smiled brightly. “Makeovers!”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Like...makeup?” 

Nodding her head, she grabbed a tube of bright red lipstick and pulled off the cap, twisting it up. “Pucker up, Petey!”

“You're sure there are no girls without partners?” 

“Just you,” she said. 

Peter sighed, shut his eyes, and leaned closer. “Okay…” 

He heard Aurora giggle as she pressed the lipstick against his lips. “This color looks so good on you, Petey.”

Peter grunted so he didn’t have to move his lips and mess her up. She continued doing his lips, being extra generous with how much she was covering his lips with. 

Finally, she pulled away and said, “Now do what Mom does!” 

Peter opened his eyes and saw Aurora smacking her lips together. Peter followed, wincing at how much was caked on his lips. “Like this?”

“Perfect!”

Then, she was back into the pile of sample size makeup. She put so much powder on his cheeks he sneezed. That was hilarious to not only Aurora, but some of the girls around them. They all were watching and laughing, presumably at the grown man getting his makeup done like a clown. 

Peter always hated attention on him, especially when they were making fun of him, but he tried to ignore it. Aurora was having fun and that was what mattered. “What color are you using on the eyes?” He asked, humoring her in this little makeover. 

“Blue,” she said, searching through the colors. “It’s gonna match your lips. You’re gonna be Spider-Man colors.” 

Peter laughed as she winked at him. “Sounds beautiful, peanut.”

“Now close your eyes so I don’t poke them!”

Nodding his head, Peter shut his eyes once again and waited patiently as she smeared the brush on his eyes before she declared, “You can open them!”

Peter blinked his eyes open, getting used to the feeling of all of this gunk covering his eyes. There was a mirror shoved in his face, so when his vision settled, he got a good view of Aurora’s work. 

“Oh wow,” he said at first because Aurora was no make-up artist. His cheeks were so rosey red from the blush, his eyes were definitely blue and his lips were a bright red. “Looks good, Rory.”

“You like it? Good! I thought I did a good job!” 

“You sure did…” Peter said, staring at his reflection with wide eyes. 

“Wait! I need your phone!” Aurora said, lowering the mirror and smacking his knee.

Peter stared at her. “Why’s that?”

“I need a picture! I wanna show Mom how good I am!”

Hesitating only a moment, Peter said, “No one else sees the picture, Aurora.”

“Nope.” She shook her head, making her strawberry blonde curls bounce on her shoulders. With a sigh he handed her his phone. As she held it up, he stared at it with a miserable look. “Smile, Petey!”

He rolled his eyes and did so until he heard the click of the camera. 

“You look beautiful!” She gave him an evil looking stare. “Should we see if your boyfriend thinks you’re pretty?”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Aurora,  _ do not  _ send that to Ned.”

That made her giggle uncontrollably. “He’ll love it!”

“Aurora, c’mon, I’m not kidding.”

She smiled and said, “Fine. Ned or Dad. You pick.”

Peter felt his cheeks burn. “You’re not sending that to Dad either. Why are you trying to torment me? I thought we were on the same team.  _ We  _ team up against Dad. You don’t team against me.”

Aurora gave him an innocent looking smile. “You’re my best friend, Petey...but you’re also my big brother. So I gotta!” She turned back to his phone and scrolled through it. “His name is still Dad, right?”

Peter huffed out a breath. “Yeah. It’s still Dad.” A few months ago when Peter had babysat Aurora while Pepper and Tony went on a weekend vacation together, she’d tried calling Tony and was confused as to why his name in his phone wasn’t Dad. So she changed it for him with way too many heart emojis at the end. Pepper’s contact got the same treatment after she was done.

She typed on his phone for a minute or so before handing it back to Peter. He cringed when he saw the picture sent to Tony with the message:  _ doesn’t he look so beautiful Dad? _

Tony was already typing. And a second later his message came through,  _ gorgeous!!!! _

Peter rolled his eyes and sent his own message.  _ shut up. next time ur taking her to the makeup party.  _

Tony’s reply was fast.  _ What a matter, petey? i think ur the prettiest princess in the kingdom.  _

Peter answered with  _ i hate you _ before shutting his phone off and turning back to Aurora. “You’re getting payback for that. I hope you know.”

She only smiled, not afraid. “Sure I am, Petey. Now it’s my turn!” She got settled on her seat, sitting up tall for him. 

He smiled and leaned closer to her. “Alright, fine.” He could easily make her makeup look just as atrocious as his, but he wasn’t a dick. He was gonna try his best to actually make it look right. When they were all finished, Aurora was gonna look better than any of the other girls. He was gonna make sure of it. 

Searching through the pile of makeup, Peter began to match up the colors that would look best together. Usually, May preferred natural colors, but these were all bright and flashy. So, he chose Aurora’s favorite color: pink. And not a bright, hot pink; he did his best to use the more softer pinks. 

He did her lips first and when he was done, he told her, “Okay, do the lip thing.”

She did so, keeping her eyes shut. 

Then he used some of the blush on her cheeks. Just a dab. 

“Are you sure that’s enough?” She asked. 

“Who’s the artist here?” Peter answered, putting it down to get the eye stuff. 

She laughed. “You are.”

“Exactly. So just wait and see. You’re gonna love it.” He used the eye color first, covering her lids in a glittery pink. Then he used the eye stick to make her lashes darker. When he finished, he looked over her face and smiled at his job well done. 

He lifted up the mirror and said, “Alright, Rory, take a look.”

She snapped her eyes open and gasped. She grabbed the mirror and looked in it closer. “Petey, this is so pretty! Look, I’m so beautiful.”

Peter’s shoulders fell. “I think you’re just as beautiful without all that stuff. You’re the prettiest girl in the world.”

Aurora looked up at him with a smile before she practically jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. “I love you, Petey.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

“I’m gonna show the other girls!” 

“Wait-- I need a picture for Mom and Dad.”

She stood back, smiling widely as Peter snapped the picture. He smiled and how bright she was smiling. “Alright, peanut. Go have fun.” She ran off to the girls and they all marveled at her make-up. Peter smiled at that. At least they weren’t ignoring her. 

Now that he wasn’t needed anymore, he went back to his seat and sat down. He saw the other moms giving him soft smiles. Peter blushed and looked away, using his phone to check just how bad he looked. He cringed and even though he told Aurora not to, he opened up Snapchat and sent a picture of him, looking not impressed, to Ned.  _ Aurora got to my face.  _

Ned responded with a picture of him laughing uncontrollably and if that wasn’t enough, he captioned it with way too many laughing emojis. He sent back a picture of him looking pissed, fighting a smile. 

Then he went back to his conversation with Tony and sent him the picture of Aurora.  _ The real princess.  _

While waiting for Tony to answer, he went back to snapping Ned. He looked up and saw that Aurora was still talking with some other girls, finally, so she was good. That was how he got distracted, thinking it was all okay. 

He let her play around while he flirted with Ned over snap and tried to tell Tony that his little girl was not growing up yet-- don’t cry. He was great at multitasking. 

Until he heard one of the girls in a coughing fit that wouldn’t stop. He looked up in concern and his heart dropped when he saw it was Aurora that couldn’t catch her breath. He ran to her side, looking at her with wide eyes. She was wheezing and her face was already red and swelling. 

There was no other girl by her at the table to tell him what happened. He should have noticed, but he didn’t. And she was sitting on one side all alone and now she was in danger. 

“Are you choking?” He asked, ready to check, but she shook her head. “Then what’s…” His eyes fell to the cupcake in front of her with pink icing. He swiped his finger through it and tasted it. Strawberry. 

By now, there were a few moms behind him, panicking. They were all too loud and asking too many questions. 

“She’s allergic to strawberries,” he said, his heart racing. Aurora reached out for him, her face and wheezing were only getting worse. “I have to take her to the hospital.” 

“I’ll call an ambulance--.”

Peter shook his head. “There’s no way it’d get here in time.”

The woman huffed. “Well, it’s all we have, so-- what are you doing?”

Peter wasn’t even listening to her. He was wrapping Aurora up in his coat and cradling her close to his chest. “I can get there faster.”

_ “What?” _

Peter held her close and already started towards the door. “You can call the hospital and tell them I’m on my way.” He looked down at Aurora, hearing her crying and gasping. “It’s okay, baby. It’s gonna be okay. Petey’s got you.”

He shoved open the door and started running. He didn’t care if his speed seemed inhuman to others. He had his spidey powers and adrenaline and he was going to get her to that hospital. His feet were taking him faster than all the cars he was passing. 

He weaved through traffic, ignoring the yells and honks he was getting. 

The only thing that mattered was getting Aurora somewhere safe. 

 

He kept running until he was finally slamming open the doors of the hospital and rushing in and yelling for help. “My little sister needs help!”

One of the nurses working behind the desk happened to be one of May’s co-workers and recognized him. She hurried over quickly. “Peter, what’s wrong?”

“Aurora-- she’s allergic to strawberries and she ate a cupcake. She needs help.” He could barely get the words out through his panicking. 

“We’re gonna take care of her-- look here. It’s gonna be okay.”

Behind them, there was already a doctor wheeling out a stretcher. Peter laid her down immediately, still wrapped up in his jacket. She was unconscious and didn’t make a sound or complaint at the movement. 

“Help her--please. She needs help.”

“How old is she?”

“She’s 8. Just a baby-- please help her.” 

The doctors nodded and wheeling her off, shouting words that Peter couldn’t comprehend through his panic. Before he could follow her, the nurse grabbed his arm and said softly, “Why don’t you come in the back, okay? May’s working right now, so I’ll call her down.”

Peter leaned into the woman, numbly nodding his head. “I’ve gotta call her dad-- he needs to know. He’s gonna kill me,” he said, eyes widening. Tony trusted him to protect her and he failed. 

She took him behind another door and into a small room. Together, they sat down in two chairs by the door and she kept a hand on him. “I’m gonna call your aunt now.”

Peter nodded, staring ahead. He knew he needed to call Tony, but he couldn’t get his hand to move and pull his phone out. Before he could even try to force himself to, May was kneeling in front of him, cupping his cheek and trying to get his attention. 

She turned to the girl next to her. “How long has he been like this?”

“Since I brought him in-- 15 minutes or so?”

Peter frowned. He wasn’t sitting here for longer than two minutes. 

May ran her hand through his hair. “Hey, baby, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Blinking his eyes, he finally moved his hand and grabbed her wrist softly. “Aurora. She’s hurt.”

“I know, baby. Allergic reaction. She’s gonna be okay, though.” 

Peter shook his head. May didn’t see her. She didn’t see how swollen her face was and how her body struggled just to breathe. “I wasn’t paying attention-- I should have--.”

“Stop that,” May scolded. “It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.” 

Peter didn’t believe it. It was her fault and he knew it. “I have to call Tony--he doesn’t know.”

May took the seat next to him, pulling him close to her. “Don’t worry about that. I called him before I came in here. He’s gonna be here soon.”

Once in May’s hold, he let himself crumble in her hold. He let out a sob as he held her tight. “He’s gonna hate me.”

“He’s not gonna hate you, baby. It’s okay. It’s gonna be okay.” She rubbed his back softly as he continued to cry in her shoulder. “How about I get you a tissue? Your mascara is running.”

Peter froze when he realized that he forgot his face was covered in makeup. He shot up, afraid to ruin May’s shirt. “Oh, my God-- Aurora, she--.”

May laughed softly and used the tissue in her hand to wipe at his cheeks. She pulled back a black stained tissue. “It’s okay,” she assured him. 

“I must look crazy, huh?”

“You do,” she said. “I also was told that you...ran all the way here? Despite the birthday party being blocks away?”

“Quicker than an ambulance.”

May nodded her head. “Mhmm, crazy boy.” She wiped at his face again. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I tried,” he sobbed softly.

She hushed him gently. “And you did it, baby. You got her here safely. She’s gonna be okay because of you.”

Peter shook his head, leaning back on May. Now that he was 24-years-old, he was taller than May, but he still hunched in on himself and curled close to her side when he needed comforting. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling as terrified as a kid. He was an adult. He was Spider-Man-- he wasn’t supposed to be so scared and helpless. 

“You know when you were a kid, you had horrible asthma. Ben was at work and we were sitting at home. You weren’t even running or moving and suddenly you couldn’t breathe. It was your first bad attack like that; your rescue inhaler wasn’t working. I rushed you to a hospital because and your lips were blue-- I thought I was going to lose you that night. Ben rushed over and I kept apologizing because I thought it was my fault I didn’t keep a better eye on you.”

Peter sniffled. “I don’t remember that.”

She laughed softly, kissing the top of his head. “I’m glad you don’t. It was a scary night. But you were okay. Just like Aurora is going to be okay. I promise you.” 

Peter couldn’t be sure of that. All he could see when he shut his eyes was his baby sister struggling to take in a breath, looking at him for help. He was supposed to help her. 

“Don't worry about her right now, okay? Let’s focus on getting your own breathing under control. Don’t need you hyperventilating, even though we’re already in the emergency room.”

He took a few moments to try and calm his breathing. “‘m sorry, Aunt May.” 

“Oh, baby. There’s no reason to apologize. It’s okay.”

Peter didn’t argue her words because he knew she would continue to insist it wasn’t his fault when he clearly knew it was. He just let her hold him for the next few minutes as he calmed down. When he stopped shaking and felt like he could handle himself, he pulled up, wiping at his face. 

May laughed at him when she got a look at his face again. “You’re makeup up is a mess, bubba.”

He rolled his eyes with a smile. “It was always a mess. Rory’s gonna kill me for ruining it.”

May tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. “Why don’t we go see what she thinks?”

“Is she awake already?”

“She’ll be up soon. Tony’s already in there with her.” 

Peter blinked. “What-- how long have we been sitting here?”

“Just long enough for you to calm down,” she said.  _ “Are _ you calm now? Ready to go?”

Nodding his head, he said, “Yeah. I need to make sure she’s okay-- I shouldn’t be just sitting around--.”

“Woah, calm down there, cowboy. You ran her to a hospital and she’s okay. You gave yourself a panic attack, so I think you deserve some time to rest.” 

“Panic attack?” He asked, feeling his cheek blush. He seriously had a panic attack in the middle of the hospital? 

“Yeah, baby. But you’re okay now. I was here the whole time with you. Just you and me.”

Peter turned to his side and saw that the nurse that helped him wasn’t sitting with them anymore. He wasn’t even sure when he left the room. “Oh...thank you.”

“You never have to thank me for that.” She paused before asking, “Ready to go see your little sister?”

Peter swallowed thickly. “Tony’s in there?” 

“He’s there. And he could use someone with him. Pepper’s still home sick.”

“He’s not gonna want me there,” Peter said. 

“Oh, stop that, Peter. He wants you there. He wants to thank the person that saved his baby. Now come on.” She stood up, lifting him up with her by his arm. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it comfortingly. “Ready?”

He sighed. “Okay…”

She gave him a smiled before leading him out. They passed a few people as they walked through the hall and he received a few strange looks. He frowned before remember the makeup and then he quickly stared down at his feet. 

He stared down at his feet until May stopped him outside the door. He glanced at May and asked, “Are you sure he wants to see me?”

“I’m positive.”

Peter nodded his head, took a deep breath and let May open the door. He saw Tony sitting by the bed and he turned around when he heard the door open. He was off his feet in a second and came forward, crushing Peter in a hug. “Thank you, Peter.”

Peter stood still, not sure why he was being thanked instead of yelled at. “What?”

“Thank you for saving her-- for getting her here.” He ran a hand through his hair, forcing his head lower on his shoulder so he could press a kiss to the top of his head. Peter could feel him shaking slightly and his voice was close to breaking. “You saved your sister. Good boy.” 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t keeping an eye on her--.”

“Shut up. Don’t you dare. How were you supposed to know it was strawberries? You realized and got her here.” He pulled back to look at down at him. “You ran her here, I heard.”

Peter shifted under his gaze. “Why does everyone keep telling people? The ambulance wouldn’t have--.”

“Hey, I’m not mad at you for it, kiddo. I’m proud of you for your quick-thinking. You’re a hero.” Tony ruffled his hair once before letting his hand fall. “When I got the call, I was worried, but I didn’t freak out as bad as I should have...you were with her. I knew she’d be okay.”

Peter looked away. “You put too much faith in me.” 

Tony used a finger under his chin to turn his head back towards him. “In you? Never.” Peter rolled his eyes and Tony narrowed his. “Watch your attitude, mister. I’m telling you the truth. Not only would I trust my life with you, I would trust Aurora’s too. And the list of people I would trust her life with is very, very short.” 

Peter just shrugged his shoulders, unable to deny that. He would die for that girl. 

Tony laughed softly. “Though, I would not trust  _ either  _ of you to do my makeup.”

“Hey, you saw how she looked once I finished. I think I did a pretty good job.”

Tony patted his cheek. “Sure thing, bubs.”

“You’re next. We’re gonna go crazy on your face. Just you wait. When that little devil is up and running again,  _ you’re  _ the one that she’s making over. We’ll see how much you laugh then.”

Tony glanced over to his sleeping daughter and then turned back to Peter with a soft smile. “I can’t wait, buddy. You two better do your worst.”

Peter grinned. “Oh, we will. We always do.” 


	4. wreck it ralph

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanna fight? Don't laugh at the chapter name. I've got a theme going where I name them after movies/episodes the chapter reminds me off. And wreck it Ralph is one of my older brother's favorite Disney movies...only fitting to honor that since this fic is all about older brothers

“Where is she?” Peter asked, walking into the living room. Pepper was sitting on the couch with and Tony was pacing in front of her. 

Hearing his voice, Tony turned to him, relief flooding his face. “Oh, thank God you’re here.”

“Of course I’m here,” he said, stopping just by the couch. “Is Aurora okay?”

“She hasn’t left her room since she got home, so yeah, she’s peachy,” Tony replied sarcastically, running a hand through his hair. 

Peter had rarely ever seen him so panicked. “Hey, it’s fine. She’s a teenage girl. Sometimes she just needs to lock herself away in her room.”

“Which I get, Pete. But on Homecoming? She’s supposed to be getting dressed and ready to go out. This is her night.” 

“What happened to her date? She was really excited to go out with him.” Peter felt his shoulders drop at that. For weeks, Aurora had been telling him excitedly about her date and how handsome he was and how funny he was. He hadn’t even gotten the chance yet to meet him and give him the big brother talk. 

“He turned out to be a fucking dick, that’s what.”

Pepper raised her arm to reach for Tony’s hand. “C’mere, baby.” Tony grunted but took her hand and let her pull him down next to her. Then, she turned to Peter and said, “Aurora broke things off with him today. She overheard him talking to his friends about how he was just dating her to get to Tony Stark.”

Peter felt the backstab Aurora was probably feeling since it happened. That was biggest insecurity ever since her peers got old enough to understand who her father was: people only liking her because of her last name. “Seriously?”

Pepper nodded her head sadly. “Yeah...she’s taking it pretty hard. Wouldn’t let either of us talk to her.” 

“Took you long enough to call me,” Peter joked, although he was having difficulty hiding his own worry and anger. 

“Just please fix her,” Tony begged.

Peter nodded. “Of course. I’ll be right back.”

“Thank you, Peter,” Pepper said softly. 

 

Peter took the elevator up to the floor where all of the bedrooms were and went straight to Aurora’s room. Her door was shut and he knew that she wasn’t going to just let him in with a knock.

Still, he knocked to get her attention and then said something that he knew she couldn’t ignore. “Eskimo.”

_ Eskimo.  _ A code word that Aurora had picked years ago when she was 6-years-old and wanted to share a secret word with Peter. They used it when they built blanket forts, in her playhouse, and in her bedroom when she didn’t want parents to come in; only her big brother was allowed. Peter would come say Eskimo and then she’d let him in with a smile. 

Eskimo was the word she chose for three reasons. 1) Eskimo was a word she learned in school and she thought it was the funniest word she’d ever heard in her short 6 years. 2) She thought eskimos were adorable. And 3) She loved getting eskimo kisses from Peter when he walked in the room because, yes, it was mandatory for Peter to brush his nose against Aurora’s or else she refused to let him in.

Peter thought the entire thing was one of the cutest things she’d ever done. 

They hadn’t used it in years. 

But she hadn’t forgotten it. Just like he hadn’t.

Through the door, Peter heard her call out softly, “Come in.”

Peter opened her bedroom door and walked in. He saw her laying across her bed, as if she had just thrown herself to the mattress the moment she’d gotten to her room and hadn’t bothered to move since. Carefully, Peter laid down next to her, so his head was only a few inches from hers. His legs dangled from the side since they were laying across the bed horizontally. “Hey, peanut.” 

Aurora turned her head so she was facing him. Her eyes were puffy and red and whatever mascara she had been wearing was smudged underneath her eyes. “I know Mom and Dad sent you up here.”

“Good thing they did, huh? I don’t like knowing you’re up here crying alone.” Peter reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. 

“‘M not crying,” she said, trying to hide her face in her arm. 

“It’s okay that you are. That bag of dicks treated you like shit.”

Aurora groaned. “Stop listening to Dad.”

“I’ll have you know I came up with that insult all on my own,” Peter said, poking her in the side so she would pick her head up again. 

“Oh, I’m sure you did.” 

“Hey! What’s that supposed to mean?” Peter asked, pretending to be offended. 

She knew him well enough to know he was joking. “You know exactly what it means.”

Peter was quiet for a moment, debating on where to go with it next. “I’m still upset that I gave you the secret word and I never got my kiss. Since when do we break tradition?”

She only took a moment before she was picking her head up and leaning towards him. Peter met her halfway, rubbing their noses together. 

“Aw, there are my Eskimo kisses.”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know that, right? You’re like 40 getting excited over nose kisses.”

Peter’s eyes widened and he chokes in pain of that claim.  _ “Excuse me?  _ 40? I’m 31. You know that. Don’t be a little shit.” He paused. “And I will always get excited for  _ Eskimo  _ kisses from my peanut.”

Her face fell when he said this. “Well, at least  _ someone  _ wants to kiss me.”

Peter frowned, knowing there wasn’t much he could do about this but try and distract her. “I’m sorry about what happened. I really am, Rory.”

She just shrugged his shoulders, looking at him with such a tired smile that didn’t reach her eyes at all. “It’s okay. Shoulda known it was gonna happen sooner or later.”

“Aurora--.”

“No, really. I mean-- my best friend is my brother. My brother, who is 30-years-old and has his own life.” Aurora laid her head back down, still staring at him. 

“And my best friend is 15-years-old. So how does that make me feel?”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same! You have Ned-- an actual best friend. He’s your husband. You guys have kids together! I’m just...your annoying baby sister.” 

“Making friends isn’t easy, Rory.”

“Yeah, especially when you’re me. Can you two adopt me? Maybe if my name was Aurora Parker-Leeds, people would want to be my friend because of  _ me.  _ Hell, even  _ you  _ only like me because of Dad.”

Peter furrowed his eyebrows. “Hey, now. I only  _ met _ you because of Dad. But that isn’t why I hang around you and you know it.” He softened his voice, giving her a small smile. “I love my Rory because of her. Because she’s a snarky, wild, smart-ass, funny girl that I still can’t believe I’m lucky enough to know.”

“Whatever.”

“Don’t whatever me. My little monsters love hanging out with you too. And you’re gonna find your best friend. You’re still in high school; you’ve got your entire life ahead of you.” 

“All the good guys are gonna be taken by the time I get my act together.” Aurora sighed, rolling over to her side so she was fully facing Peter. 

“I don’t think so. They’re gonna be out there looking for their own girl, wondering where she is. And you’re gonna be there waiting.” Peter rolled over to give her his full attention as well. 

“Easy for you to say when you’ve got Ned. You’re had him since you were  _ younger  _ than me.”

“He was my friend, but I didn’t know he was the one until college. I went through my share of assholes before I realized he was it. You’re gonna get there one day too.”

Aurora scoffed. “Well, today is not that day. So, if you’d please leave me here until I die, that would be great.”

“Leave you alone when you’ve got that pretty purple dress just waiting to be worn? I don’t think so.” Peter sat up, patting her on the side. “Get up, lazy butt. I’m sending Mom up here. You’ve got an hour to get all dolled up.”

“Peter, I’m not going. I dumped him and there’s no way I’m showing my face in that place.” 

“Never said you had to. I just don’t think you should let him ruin this night for you. So, get the dress on, do your makeup and hair. I’ll be back with a surprise.” He stood up and started towards the door while she protested. 

“Peter, I’m not getting dressed!”

He paused just before he left the room, turning around to give her a grin. “Fine. Then the next time you call me to pick you up from school just because you want ice-cream, I’m going to have to say no.”

_ “Peter!”  _ He grinned at her even wider and she groaned. “Fine! Okay-- fine!”

“Good girl. Mom will be right up.” 

He shut the door and hurried back down to where Pepper and Tony were waiting. They looked disappointed when they didn’t see Aurora by his side, but he quickly reassured them, “Rory is fine. She needs Pepper up there to help her with her hair and makeup.”

Pepper got up to her feet with a smile. “You convinced her to go?”

“Well, not exactly. She’s going out, but not to the dance.” 

“As long as her night isn’t ruined, I don’t care where she goes.” Pepper went up the steps to go help Aurora. 

Peter turned to Tony and said, “I need your help. Do you have a purple tie I could borrow?”

Tony smiled. “C’mon, kiddo.”

  
\--

 

A little over an hour later, Pepper came hurrying down the stairs with a smile on her face. Tony and Peter were waiting in the living room for them. Peter had changed into one of his nicer suits with a tie of Tony’s that matched Aurora’s dress. 

Pepper’s face softened when she saw him standing there. She covered her mouth. “Oh, Peter.”

Peter grinned over at her. “You like it? Tony let me borrow a tie.”

“You’re gonna take her out?” 

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah. Couldn’t leave her up there all by herself. Ned’s got the kids. Think they’re gonna go see a movie.”

Pepper crossed the floor and pulled him in for a hug. “You’re the sweetest.” 

Behind them Tony laughed. “I know right? We raised quite a gentleman.”

Pepper pulled back, rolling her eyes. “If you ask May, I’m sure she’d be willing to give you 12% credit for raising him.”

“Wow. Seriously? It’s been over 20 years and you’re still bringing that up?” 

“Yup.” She straightened out Peter’s coat after she’d squeezed him in a hug and said, “Sorry, baby. You look so handsome.”

“Thanks, Pepper.” Peter smiled. 

She smiled up at him. “Where are you two going tonight?”

Peter really hadn’t thought of anything too special. “I think we’ll head to Ralph’s,” he said. 

“Oh, she’ll love that,” Pepper said, taking a step back. “She’s waiting for me to call her down. Are you ready?”

“Wait!” Peter shouted, leaning down to grab his camera off the couch. He held it up and focused it on the stairway. “Okay, call her down.” 

Pepper walked back to the steps and called up, “Aurora! Come on down!”

A few moments later, she walked down the steps and Peter almost forgot to snap the picture because he was caught off guard at how beautiful she looked. Her long strawberry blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders, curls bouncing with each step she took. Her makeup was done perfectly (of course it was, her mom was Pepper Potts). Her long dress was a gorgeous shade of lavender. 

He didn’t take the picture until Tony was behind him, whispering in his ear. “Did you get it?”

Then he snapped a few. The pictures showed her smiling at the camera and then, her looking away with a small smile on her face, and then holding out her hand so she could block her face from the pictures. “Peter! Stoooop!” 

Peter lowered the camera just so she could see him grin over at her. “Why? I need to get pictures of the princess.”

She rolled her eyes as she finally got to the last step. “I can’t stand you.”

Tony was over to her side the moment she was on the floor and walking over to them. He opened his arms to pull her in for a hug and then hesitated. “Can I hug you?”

Aurora smiled, lifting her own arms. “Of course, Dad.”

Tony was still careful as he hugged her. Peter made sure to get a picture of that. “Oh, baby girl, you look gorgeous.”

“Doesn’t she?” Pepper asked, watching them from the side. 

“Want a picture all together?” Peter asked, knowing Aurora would hate him for it. 

“Oh, come on! Homecoming-- that I’m not even going to-- isn’t that important. Not like it’s prom.” Aurora groaned as Pepper came to her side to get in the picture too. 

“Still,” Peter said with a smirk, “this night only happens once. Can’t miss it.”

Peter could see the glare even after she wiped it off her face to smile nice for the picture. “Oh, how pretty, Rory.”

“Peter, watch it,” she warned through her posed smile. 

He laughed as he lowered the camera. “Alright, I’m all done.” 

Aurora sighed in relief. “Finally. I hate that camera.”

Peter pouted. “Oh, come on. You love her. She catches all the little moments so we never forget them.”

“You’re ridiculous.”

Peter snapped another picture of her rolling her eyes before answering, “So you’ve told me. Literally an hour ago.”

She turned to Pepper and Tony. “Mom and Dad, I want a new brother.” 

Pepper laughed as Tony shrugged his shoulders. “We tried sending him back, but we lost the receipt. So you’re stuck with this one, squirt.”

“Damn.”

“Language,” Tony said to her. 

“Yeah, Rory,  _ language,”  _ Peter said. 

“You watch it, brat,” Tony waved a finger at him. 

“Would someone care to tell me why I had to get all dressed up for nothing?” Aurora said, steering the conversation back on track.

Peter gestured to his suit. “Does it look like you got dressed up for nothing?”

Aurora raised her eyebrows. “You look very handsome, Petey, but I’m not going to a homecoming dance with my 40-year-old brother.”

Tony choked on a laugh as Peter groaned. “Oh, not this again. Stop calling me old. I’m not old.” 

“Tell that to your gray hairs.”

Peter covered his hair quickly with wide eyes. “I don’t have gray hairs.” He turned to Tony. “Tell her to stop calling me old.”

Tony just grinned back at him. “Not much fun being called old, huh?”

Peter went back to who was supposed to be his partner in crime. “Don’t turn on me, Rory. Dad’s the old one. Not me.”

Aurora eyed him for a moment before she sighed heavily. “Okay, fine. You’re right. Dad is pretty old.” 

Peter smiled, turning back to Tony. “And thus, the world is balanced again.”

“Get out of here until I ground you both,” Tony said, waving them towards the elevator. “Go out and do whatever it is you two trouble makers do.”

“That’s our cue, princess,” Peter said, holding his arm out for Aurora to come loop her arm through his. 

“Have Cinderella home before midnight!” Tony said as Aurora came to Peter’s side. She rolled her eyes dramatically as she linked her arm with Peter’s. 

“Don’t listen to him. You two have fun and stay out as late as you’d like. Just text us letting us know,” Pepper said. 

“Thank you, Queen. We will keep in touch through our crazy shenanigans.” Peter said, leading Aurora to the elevator. Just before the doors shut, Peter could hear Tony groaning and complaining about all they could and  _ have  _ gotten into together. 

Peter turned to Aurora and grinned. “You ready to have some fun?”

Aurora smiled right back at him. “I sure am.”

 

\--

 

They were driving for a few minutes, listening to the music playing on the radio, when Aurora looked at him from the shotgun seat and laughed. “No minivan, huh?”

“I convinced Dad to let me drive the Audi.” He leaned forward to rub the dashboard. “She’s so beautiful.” 

“Woulda been yours if you didn’t have such bad baby fever,” Aurora teased. 

“Maybe. But it’s okay. I’ll take all my kiddos over a car anyday.” Peter smiled thinking about his still growing family. 

“Yeah. You did get pretty lucky in the offspring department.” Aurora turned to look at him with a smirk. “Love talking to Ruth about how old and wrinkly you are.”

Peter groaned. “Not her too. You’re both mean, you know that?”

Aurora laughed, shrugging her shoulders. “We’ve gotta gang up on Dad.”

“I’m not your Dad. I’ve only got 3 kids. You’re definitely not one of them.” 

“If I was your kid, I don’t think you’d ever adopt again.”

Glancing at Aurora from the corner of his eyes he said, “I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Before you were even born I was ready to help raise you. Being your big brother since you were in Mom’s belly was what made me want to have a few babies of my own.”

Her cheeks blushed slightly. “Even now that I’m a moody teenager?”

Chuckling, Peter said, “We were all moody teenagers once. Including me. And you’re not that bad.”

“I hid in my room, refusing to speak to either of my parents today for hours,” she argued. 

“Well, some guy treated you like shit. You know how often I acted out when bullies in school wanted to give me a hard time. Just ask Dad or Aunt May.”

“Moody Peter? I can’t even imagine that.” 

Peter laughed at her amused tone. “Be glad you can’t. It’s not pretty.” 

“Peter never takes his frustration out on me anyway. So, it’s okay.” She grinned cheekily as Peter pulled into the parking lot of Ralph’s. 

“Yeah, let’s keep it that way. I don't want a moody Rory angry at me either.” 

“I could never. Don't worry,” Aurora said, leaning forward to see where they had pulled up. She recognized it almost immediately. She gasped, turning to Peter with wide eyes. “You took me to Ralph’s?”

Peter nodded, getting excited from her excitement. “Yeah! And don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of quarters.”

The grin on her face was huge as she opened the door, stepping out of the car. “Come on! Come on!” 

Peter laughed, following close behind her as she ran through the parking lot. The skirt of her dress flew behind her as she hurried to the front doors. He caught up to her easily as she walked inside the rundown arcade. 

It had been years since they’d been inside this old place-- summer of the year before Aurora went to high school, if Peter remembered correctly. But walking inside, it looked like nothing had changed since they had last spent endless hours and quarters in this place.  

Aurora must have been thinking the same thing because when they got inside, she turned around looking at the place in awe. 

Peter smiled, watching her go back in time as she walked across the faded carpet. She stopped at the change machine and turned to Peter with a huge grin. “You’ve got bills smaller than 20?”

Peter huffed, coming up closer as he pulled out his wallet. “Do I have bills under 20? Do you know who you’re talking to?” He pulled out a few fives and handed them to Aurora. “Here you go, kiddo.”

She started feeding the machine and quarters began to pour out as she continued. Peter grabbed them before they could fall to the floor. “I feel like I’m 10-years-old again and we’re gonna get in trouble for staying out past curfew.”

Peter laughed at the many memories of them getting chewed out after playing in the arcade for too long. “Hey, it’s not our fault there’s no clocks in this place. Besides, now we’ve got permission to stay out late. So we’re gonna be here until they kick us out.” 

Aurora laughed, grabbing the last of the coins. “So, what are we doing first?”

Peter scoffed, quirking an eyebrow. “Skeeball, of course.” 

She rolled her eyes in amusement. “You and your skeeball.”

“I’m the king. I must take my crown back,” he said, grabbing her wrist and dragged her over to the skeeball machines. He dropped his quarters in his pocket. “Totally forgot my fanny pack. Never been more disappointed in myself.”

“Thank  _ God,”  _ Aurora said. “I don’t want to be embarrassed with you standing here with your Spider-Man fanny pack, pulling out quarters.”

“Listen closely, Rory: first, that was a joke gift from Dad, but jokes on him because I freaking love it and second, it’s much easier to get the quarters from a pouch that's right there.” He leaned down and dropped two quarters into the slot. 

Aurora crossed her arms over her chest, watching him with raised eyebrows. “Let’s see if you’ve still got it, nerd.” 

“I’m sure I do...it’s easy.” He pulled his arm back and then followed through, the ball rolling forward and landing in the...worst spot. He frowned. “That wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Aurora laughed so hard she was bending forward with arms wrapped around her stomach. 

“Stop laughing at me or I’ll take your quarters.” 

“What’s a matter, skeeball king? Lost your touch?” She was still laughing. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Peter muttered as he continued to throw ball after ball. When he threw the last one, he stared down and frowned as a disappointing amount of tickets came out. 

“Aw, maybe next time, Petey.”

“No! Wait-- let me try this again.” He leaned down and dropped another two quarters in. 

Aurora came up next to him and put two into the one next to him. “Something tells me we’re gonna be here a while.” 

Peter ignored her and went back to throwing his own. It took him three tries before he finally got it into the highest score. He jumped in the air, pumping his fist, cheering, “Oh, hell yeah! Did you see that? Oh yeah, I’m back, girl, you better watch out!” 

Aurora rolled her eyes, giggling as she played her own game. She was doing pretty good, but obviously didn't care about the points as much as Peter did. “If you get us kicked out, I will never forgive you.”

“Hey, hey,” Peter said, “watch this!” He threw the ball, getting the perfect angle again and it went into the exact pocket Peter aimed for. “Oh fuck yeah! We’re gonna be swimming in tickets by the end of the night.”

“Shhh,” Aurora said, her eyes flickering around the place. “Don’t curse in front of kids.”

Peter waved his hand. “There aren’t any kids here. And if there are, they better take it as a warning and not mess with me.”

“Ooohh, you’re so scary.” 

Peter threw another ball, smirking as it raked in another 10,000 points. “I know.”

“I’m cutting you off after one more game, okay?” Aurora said when her game was finished. 

“Fine. I’ll get top score. Watch me.” 

 

He wound up getting the highest possible score and laughed at all the tickets that machine started spitting out. It seemed to go on forever before it stopped. He left them there and went to drop another two quarters into the machine, but Aurora grabbed his arm. 

“No. C’mon. Let’s go sit in the roller coaster simulator.” She looked down to their feet. “Grab your tickets first.”

Peter leaned down and folded them up as best as he could. “Another instance that my fanny pack would have been perfect for. Now I’ve gotta hold all these.” 

“Are they heavy? You need some help, Petey?” Aurora mocked him with a grin. 

“No. But if some brat tries mugging me for them, I’m not letting him go without a fight.” 

Aurora rolled her eyes. “What’s with you and fighting children tonight?”

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “It’s been a few weeks since I got into a fist fight with a toddler. Need to keep my game up.” 

Aurora started walking when he finally had control over the tickets and he followed her. “I’m sure Uncle Happy would love to fight you later. But now, we’ve got games to play.”

That comment had Peter laughing through the next two games they played. Every time he tried to get himself to stop, he just started howling in laughter all over again. When he finally got himself to quiet his laughter, he told Aurora, “I’m totally telling Happy you said that.” 

“Go ahead, I’ll tell him  _ you _ said it. He’ll probably believe me.” She shrugged her shoulders as they started up their game of air hockey. Peter hated that she was right. 

“Brat,” he said with no heat behind his words. She just smiled at him and smacked the plastic disc across the rink right into his goal. Her smile widened. 

 

They ran out of quarters almost three hours later. Peter had already gone back to the change machine three times. His wallet was empty now. “Guess that means we’re done,” Peter said, staring down at his wallet sadly. 

Aurora was laughing at him from where she was standing next to the machine. “I can’t believe you spent over 100 bucks in an arcade.” 

He stuffed his wallet back in his pocket. “Correction:  _ we  _ spent over 100 bucks in an arcade. You’re just as guilty as I am, Rory.”

“I’m sure your boss pays you more than necessary anyways,” she teased. 

“My boss pays me just as much as I should be paid, thank you very much.” 

“Mhmm, sure he does.” She looked at the pile of tickets that they collected and asked, “So what’re you gonna buy?” 

“I’ve always wanted yo-yo. The one that glows up when you play with it,” he said and she just stared back. “I’m joking! Well, that would be pretty awesome, but I have a better idea. Come on.” 

She followed behind him, picking up the tickets he couldn’t hold. Kids stared in jealousy as he passed by. “I can’t believe you got this many.” 

“I told you: skeeball is my calling.”

“And so is every other game you play, apparently,” she said as they walked to the counter where all of the prizes were kept. 

“Oh hush, I’ll let you pick something out too.” 

“You better. Some of these are mine too, you know.” 

The cashier behind the counter was a boy that looked to be around Aurora’s age. And he definitely looked like her type. She looked to be his as Peter saw his eyes widen as he looked at her. Aurora was too busy piling all the tickets on the counter for her to notice. 

The boy looked from her then to him and then to his chest and then back to Aurora. He frowned a little. Oh shit, the tie matched her dress. Did he think-- gross, but Peter could fix this. “Hello, sir, my sister and I have a lot of tickets we’d like to spend.”

Aurora finally looked up, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I tried counting as we went…” She trailed off when she saw him staring up at her. Peter hid his grin behind his hand.

“You can get anything you want, don’t worry about the tickets,” the boy said, looking down at them. “You’ve got enough to buy us out I think.” 

Aurora laughed. “Yeah, well, Peter is a natural at skeeball.” 

Peter shook his head. “Oh no, don’t be so modest. She’s the queen of that game. And like any queen, I think she deserves a crown.” 

She looked at him, furrowing her brow. He shook his head, trying to get her to play along. He could be a damn good wingman when needed. She realized what he was doing when they exchanged glances and it clicked in her eyes. 

The boy didn’t seem to notice as he turned around and took a small plastic crown off of the shelf. “He’s right. You’ve almost got the whole princess look down. You’re just missing your tiara.” 

Her cheeks blushed a deep red as she stuttered out a thank you. “May I?” He asked softly, holding the plastic crown in his hands. 

She didn’t answer him and Peter nudged her leg. She nodded her head and leaned forward slightly. He placed the crown on her head and smiled. “Now you’re a princess.” 

“All she’s missing is her prince,” Peter said, wiggling his eyebrows. Aurora turned around to face him with a horrified face. He grinned back. Payback for all the times she tormented him with Ned. 

“Well, I think I can help with that too.” The boy smiled as he started writing something on a post it. He handed it to her. “If you have any problems with the crown...maybe you need someone to show you off with it on, you can give me a call.”

Peter wanted to bow right there. He was doing God’s work for her. Best brother was his title until the end of time. 

Aurora took it with a smile. “Yeah, I think I will.” 

They continued to stare at each other without saying a word and Peter rolled his eyes. Okay, he gave her his number, they didn’t have to do this puppy love staring until the first date at least. He cleared his throat. “Hi, um, can I have the glowing yo-yo please?” 

The boy startled out of his daze. “Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry, sir.”

Peter smiled as he handed him his yo-yo. “Thank you.” 

“Would you like anything else?” 

“Rory,” Peter said, turning to look at her. “Anything else strike your fancy?” She shook her head, looking down at her feet with flushed cheeks. Peter smiled and turned back to the boy. “That’ll be all for us. Save our unused tickets for kids that come behind us and are short some tickets for the toy they want.”

The boy smiled and nodded his head. “Sure thing. Have a nice day.” He looked to Aurora. “I’ll uh talk to you later?” 

Aurora smiled. “Yeah, you will.”

 

As they walked away, Peter was smiling so hard his cheeks began to hurt. Once they were in the parking lot, Aurora started hitting him on the arm. “Why’d you do that?”

“Do what?” Peter asked, trying to contain his laughter. 

“You know exactly what!” She continued to smack her fists against his arm. 

He laughed, grabbing her hands before she could punch him again. “Stop,” he said between his laughter. “I  _ helped  _ you.”

“You’re such a pain!” She said but stopped hitting him finally and settled on glaring at him. 

“Oh, come on, at least say  _ thank you _ . I just scored you a hot date.”

“You’re insufferable. I don’t want to talk to my brother about my dates.” She turned away from him when he let go of her hands. 

“Why not? I make a pretty good wingman.” 

She huffed as she replied, “My brother shouldn’t be my wingman.” 

Peter went quiet, thinking her words over. She was right. She should have a best friend her age to talk about all of her boy drama with, but she didn’t...so Peter was gonna be there for her instead. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Dad was my wingman at your age so…”

Her head whirled to face him so fast, her hair went flying. She was struggling to hold back a grin. “No way.” 

Pursing his lips, he nodded. “Yeah. It was interesting to say the least. At least you’re wingman is cool.”

Aurora paused, her smile softening as she glanced at him. She knocked her elbow against him gently and said, “Yeah, he is pretty cool.” 

Peter grinned at her. “Just wait. He’s about to get even cooler.” 

 

\--

 

“Why can’t you tell me where we’re going?” Aurora asked as they got back into the car with their McDonald’s bags. Aurora was already filling her mouth with fries. 

“Because that would defeat the entire purpose of it being a surprise,” Peter said as he pulled out into the street and started driving. There weren’t many other cars or people in the streets because of the time, but it wasn’t empty. New York never was. 

“You’re so annoying,” she groaned dramatically. 

“Eat your burgers and shush.” He waved a hand at her as she began to unwrap their food. He didn’t have to drive too far away, so he was hoping the food would distract her long enough before she started asking questions again. She was worse than his toddlers.  

She ate her food, making small talk here or there with Peter. She didn’t ask where they were going and Peter doubt she had any idea. He had never taken her here before, but there was a chance she’d been there. He hoped it was a surprise. 

 

“You know,” she said when they were only a few blocks away. “You don’t have to do this.” 

Peter glanced over at her, wondering how the hell she’d guessed. “Do what?”

She gestured towards the window. “Wherever it is you’re taking us. You don’t have to. You already spent your entire night with your dorky little sister. I’m sure you’d much rather be home with your kids and Ned.” 

“You’re family too. And I’m having a good time. It’s been a while since it was just you and me hanging out.” Life had gotta in the way. He wasn’t a high school kid anymore coming home from school to see his baby sister. He was an adult: he had a husband and kids and a job and bills to pay. So to have a night like this where he was able to just pretend it was the good old days, he was going to jump on it. Especially to spend time with Aurora. 

“You don’t think it’s weird, right?” 

“Hmm?” 

“That I don’t have friends. Or rather, my only friends consist of my brother and other adults.” She slumped in her seat slightly, staring down at the empty bag of fries in her lap. 

“You’ve got an old soul. I don’t think it’s weird at all. I think it’s pretty cool.” He pulled up in the one of the many empty parking spots and turned to face her. “High school sucks. It’s full of bullies and mean girls that think they’re so much better than you. But when high school ends, they’re gonna be in for a rude awakening.” 

She looked up at him. “You turned out pretty good despite all the bullshit you went through in high school.” 

Peter chuckled. She had heard plenty of his Flash stories and anyone else that decided it was fun to throw Penis Parker around. “Yeah. I did. And you will too. Don’t worry.” He reached over to squeeze her hand. “So, whaddya say? One last stop of the night?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I would love that.” 

They stepped out of the car and Aurora looked around her, turning back to Peter to give him a strange look. “Hudson River Park?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, it’s hard to find spots like this in a city. So yeah...grass and a pretty view of water.” 

Aurora laughed as they walked closer to the entrance. “And that was all in your vision, huh?”

“Had to be perfect. But uh, we can’t stay here too long. We’re totally not supposed to be here during this time. And I really don’t want us getting arrested or something. Dad wouldn’t like that.” Peter looked around but didn’t see any NYPD cars around. Not that they were doing anything wrong, but he wasn’t sure if this was a park that closed at dusk. 

“So what do you have planned then, Mr. Rule Breaker?”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her farther away from the city streetlights to the end of the park where it was quieter in both noise and light. “Dressed up all pretty on Homecoming night but not one dance? That just isn’t right.” 

“Oh, so we’re gonna dance?”

He smiled when they were finally in the perfect spot and pulled out his phone. “We sure are.” He turned it on and opened up his music app to start playing a song he used to sing to Aurora all the time when she was little. By the way her face softened, she remembered that too. 

“Peter…”

He leaned down and put the phone down before straightening up and taking her hands in his. “Are you ready, Princess Rory?”

She smiled and came closer, wrapping him in a hug. He fixed his hold on her so he could still rock her slowly as the music played. She kept her head leaning against his shoulder as Taylor Swift’s voice filled the park. She was begging the same thing Peter had been ever since he first held Aurora in his arms:  _ don’t you ever grow up.  _

Of course she had, and the years had flown by them. She was 15-years-old and only getting older everyday. He could still picture that tiny little girl with the long red hair that would run into his legs, screaming his name, when he came home on college breaks. 

Now she was too tall to hug his legs and he didn’t get to hear her screech his name excitedly as she ran through the tower. 

But she was still his baby sister. 

And as long as she was happy, he was. 

 

The chorus started playing and Peter sang along softly to her, “Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up. It could stay this simple.” He held her a little closer as he sung the next words, “I won't let nobody hurt you. Won't let no one break your heart. No one will desert you...Just try to never grow up.”

The music continued to play, but all Peter could hear was Aurora sniffling. He looked down to see if she was okay. She surprised him by looking up with a watery smile. “Why do you do this?”

Peter frowned. “Do what?”

“You and Dad...you always give me such unrealistic and unattainable standards for men. How could they get better than you?”

“Between us, they never will. I think Dad will agree.” He laughed and she rolled her eyes. “But your Prince Charming is out there. I'm just just here to keep you safe until he comes.” He paused. “And yeah, I'm definitely sticking around even after that.”

“Good. I never want you to go anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally some adult Peter and teenage rory. (Yes. We will be hearing more about Peter's kids..they've all got their own stories. Can't wait to share them with you)
> 
> Until next time ;)


	5. the nose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's hope this came out well...I've been waiting to write this scene since I started planning it with Kat. Enjoy.

“Knock, knock,” Peter said, stopping outside of Aurora’s bedroom door. It was open already, but Peter knew how teenagers were: they needed their space. 

“Come in,” Aurora said. 

Peter walked in with a smile, excitement making him giddy. He had been talking this out with Ned for weeks and they had finally decided. They wanted to keep it a secret, but he had to tell Aurora. He always told her everything. 

He saw her laying on her bed, typing away on her phone. He flopped down next to her and she quickly lowered her phone when he was close enough to read it. He pretended not to notice. “How is my little peanut doing today?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not a peanut, Peter. I’m 17-years-old.”

“Whatever you say,  _ peanut.”  _

She smacked his arm without much heat behind it. “You’re annoying.” 

“Oh, I know,” he said with a laugh. “I try to be just like Dad.” 

“I’m totally telling Dad you said that,” she replied.

“Oh, really?” Peter pretended to act disappointed. “That’s a shame. I was going to tell you a surprise, but I guess if you can’t keep a secret, I can’t trust you with it.”

That changed Aurora’s level of interest in him. She dropped the phone between them as she rolled to her side. Her eyes were wide as she asked, “What surprise?”

“Nope. This is top secret. Super confidential. Can’t tell you if you’re gonna go and blab it to Dad.” Tony shook his head, loving how riled up this was making Aurora. 

She was shaking him by the shoulder. “Petey, please tell me.”

He hummed, waiting to few seconds to ‘think it over’. “Alright, fine. I’ll tell you  _ if  _ you tell me what you were sneaking around with on your phone before I came in.”

Something flashed through her eyes and Peter really thought she was going to turn the deal down before she sighed and nodded her head. “Okay. Deal.” 

He held up his hand with only his pinky sticking out. “Pinky promise?”

She huffed heavily and lifted her hand up, linking their pinkie together. “I promise. Now tell me,” she whined, going back to shaking him.

“Alright.” Peter took a deep breath, unable to keep his face from breaking out into a smile. “Ned and I are gonna adopt another kid.”

Aurora shot up, looking at him with wide eyes.  _ “ _ You and Ned are adopting again?”

“Yeah, we’ve been talking about it for a while and decided we’re gonna do it. We’ve already started looking.” He glanced over at her to catch her eyes and see what she was thinking.

“I can’t believe you’re gonna adopt another one! The monsters you already have aren’t enough?” 

Peter couldn’t tell if she was for his idea or really was thinking he was crazy. “I love those three to the moon and back. But they’re older now and I think we can take on another one.  A baby this time.” 

That seemed to crack a small smile out of Aurora. “You’re gonna get a little one still in diapers?”

He nodded his head. “A few months old, at the most.”

“If you think you can handle a crazy baby, it’ll be fine,” Aurora said, patting his shoulder with a smirk. 

“You must be forgetting whose diapers I changed years ago. Yours.” He tapped her nose and she swatted away his hand with flushed cheeks. 

“Stop it. I’m not a baby anymore.” 

“Doesn’t mean you weren’t a baby at one point. And a very stinky one, at that.” 

“Peter.” 

“Aurora.”

“You you’re not going to be that older brother that shows my friends pictures of me running around without a diaper on.” 

Peter was caught by surprise at her mention of friends. Not that she didn’t have any but...she didn’t really have any. She hung out with Peter and his kids. He didn’t point that out though. “Oh, I’ve got plenty of pictures of you. And don’t worry, I’ll pull them out for anyone that wants to see them. Especially future boyfriends.” 

She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t. You. Dare.” 

Peter just winked at her. “We’ll see.”

_ “Peter.” _

“Anyway,” Peter said, changing the subject. “Seriously, don’t tell anyone. It’s a surprise.”

“Gonna do one of those baby announcement photo shoots?’’ She teased. 

“We’re not sure how we’re going to tell anyone yet. The kids don’t even know.”

“I’m honored you’re trusting me,” Aurora said and Peter could tell she was only half joking. 

“Of course I trust you, Rory. I know you wouldn’t dream of blabbing. Especially when I’ve got so much saved against you.” 

Aurora rolled her eyes, leaning back against the mattress. “Your secret is safe with me, Petey.” She paused before continuing, “I think it’s cute you’re gonna adopt another kid. You make a good dad.”

Peter couldn’t help the smile that broke out on his face. “Thanks, Rory. You really think so?”

“Sure do. If anyone deserves to adopt all the orphans in the world, it’s you.”

 

Peter nodded his head, warmth filling his chest. When he and Ned had gotten married, they talked about kids. Obviously, neither of them could carry and birth one of their own, so they had to look at the different options. Finding a surrogate mother was a choice for a while, but in the end, Peter’s heart longed to adopt a child. He wanted to give a child a home that needed one. Just like he had needed when May and Ben took him in. There were so many kids not as lucky as he was. Peter just wanted to help any way he could. 

And that was how they started looking into foster care systems and fell in love with a set of triplets. They were 3-years-old when they adopted them: Ruth, Kevin, and Lucas. They had pasty white Irish skin that burned on even the cloudiest of days, brown hair and bright blue eyes. They were hell on feet and definitely kept Ned and Peter busy. 

Ruth was the trouble-maker. You’d think it was her older brothers (only by a few minutes) were the instigators, but it was always her looking to make a mess.  

Another thing that set Ruth apart from her brother was that she couldn’t hear a thing. She was born deaf. Unfortunately, it was one of the reasons that people hadn’t wanted to adopt the triplets for so long; they didn’t think they could handle a child that couldn’t hear. But maybe it was fortunately for Peter because they might have gone to another family if she were “normal”.

Peter and Ned, however, didn’t let that stop them. They brought their babies home and loved them all the same. It took them a few months, but learning American Sign Language wasn’t too much to ask, especially when it let them communicate with their daughter. Tony surprised them all by already understanding sign language. 

Peter will never forget the look on Ruth’s face when he was able to talk to her for the first time without relying on Tony as an interpreter. 

And if he could put that smile on another child’s face by giving them somewhere to belong, he sure as hell was going to leap at the chance as many times as he could. 

 

“Yeah...I just want to give them a chance. The kids that weren’t as lucky as me,” Peter said, his voice growing low and serious. Aurora was laying next to him, giving him her full attention. “My parents died, but I wasn’t alone. Ben and May took me in. And...and then after we lost Ben, May still wanted to keep me. Even though she’s not my blood family, she still saw me as family enough to keep and love me as her own.”

“Of course she did,” Aurora said, “You’re her son no matter what.” 

Peter smiled softly at her. “Yeah. I am. And that’s all I want to for these other kids. Give them the love and home they deserve.” 

Aurora stared at him silently for a moment before declaring, “This world is very lucky to have you, Peter Parker.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, shoving her gently to get the attention off of him. “Enough about me now. It’s your turn to spill the beans.” 

Aurora lifted her phone back in her hand, biting her lip in hesitation. 

“C’mon, you gotta. You pinky promised.” He raised his eyebrows, looking down at the phone in her hands pointedly. 

She sighed heavily in exasperation.  _ “Fine.  _ I told Mom and Dad I was going to meet a study group this Friday when in reality, I’m going to a party.” 

Peter quirked an eyebrow. A party? She wasn’t that kind of person and last Peter checked, she wasn’t invited to parties-- not in her three years of being in high school. “A party? Like a birthday party?”

Her face pinched up when he said that. “No.” She paused. “A boy invited me.” 

Peter smirked. “Oh  _ a boy?  _ Is he cute?”

Aurora’s face burned red. “Yes. He’s cute.” 

“So why is this a secret from mom and dad? You wanna see how it goes with him before telling them about your possible boyfriend?”

She chewed on her lip again and Peter was starting to get worried. She was hiding something, even from him. 

“What is it, Rory? I’m your big bro, not Mom or Dad.” 

That seemed to convince her and she mumbled something so quietly that Peter thought he misheard her. He had to have misheard her. 

He blinked. “What?”

She looked up at him and said in a louder but still rushed voice, “It’s a college party.”

Peter pulled back, sitting up in alarm. “It’s a  _ what?” _

“College party. The boy-- he’s in college.” 

Peter wasn’t even trying to hide how he was feeling. Despite not being her father, he was still a father and his dad instincts were kicking in. “How do you know a boy from college?”

“Don’t tell Mom and Dad.”

“Aurora.” 

She answered him after a moment of hesitation. “I met him on Tinder…” 

“Tinder,” Peter repeated incredulously. “Aurora, you’re 17-years-old. What are you doing on Tinder where creepy older men are stalking for girls like you?”

Aurora rolled her eyes. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic, Peter. I can control who I accept. I’m not gonna just swipe right on anyone.” 

“But you’ll swipe right on a college boy-- how old is he, anyway?”

“He’s only 21.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “ _ Only  _ 21?” 

“Yes,” she replied quickly. “And I’ll be 18 in a few weeks. It’ll be fine.”

“I don’t care if you’re turning 18 soon. You’re not 18 now and you’re not in college.” 

She groaned, sitting up as well. “Peter, stop it.”

Peter blinked, not understanding why she wasn’t taking this more seriously. “Stop  _ what?  _ Caring about you? Excuse me for not wanting my baby sister to go meet some creep from online at a frat party.”

“He’s not some creep. He’s a sweet guy,” Aurora said, narrowing her eyes. 

“Such a gentleman. Flirting with underage girls,” Peter said sarcastically. 

“Peter, can you just--ugh.” She cut herself off in frustration. 

“Can I just what?”

“God, why are you being such a pain about this? Someone finally likes me for  _ me.  _ He has no idea I’m Tony Stark’s daughter-- and you want to ruin it for me!” Aurora sounded like she actually felt like Peter was betraying her. 

“Yeah, he may not want you for your last name, but I think I know why he wants you,” he grumbled. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aurora practically growled. 

“Oh, come on. You’re too smart for this. You found him on Tinder. You’re a pretty girl. He invited you to a party where girls show up wearing just about nothing while a house full of drunk guys oogle over them.”

“Oh yeah because you have so much experience in parties,” Aurora scoffed, rolling her eyes. 

Peter’s eyes hardened. “I don’t need to be some party animal to know what happens at frat parties.” 

“Whatever. You can’t stop me if I want to go. Unless you’re gonna go tattle to Dad,” she spat out, not sounding afraid of Peter actually doing that. 

“I don’t want to, Rory,” Peter said honestly. “I really don’t want it to come to that.” 

“Well, I’m going so…” She shrugged her shoulders before crossing her arms over her chest. 

Peter squeezed his fist in frustration. “No, you’re not. I forbid you from going.” 

Aurora’s eyebrows shot up and she recoiled. “You  _ forbid _ me? Oh, really? Well, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not my father.” 

Peter narrowed his eyes. “But I’m the adult. And you’re the child. And the adult says you’re not going.”  _ God, is this how Tony had felt reprimanding Peter for doing stupid shit?  _

“You can’t stop me. I’m going to that party whether you like it or not.” 

Peter stared back at her, both of them not backing down. They had never butt heads on anything like this, but Peter wasn’t letting it go as easily as Aurora thought he would. “Don’t go to the party.” 

“I’m going to the party.” 

“Aurora Stark, I’m telling you right now that if you to that party, you will regret it.” 

She jumped up from her bed and threw out a hand, pointing to her open doorway. “Get out.” 

Peter froze. He had never been kicked out of her bedroom before. He was always the one allowed in no matter what. When she needed space from everything, he was the one that was allowed to come in and see her. Peter wasn’t going to argue it though. If she wanted him gone, fine. “Alright. I’ll leave. But I’m not kidding.”

Aurora rolled her eyes as he walked to the doorway. “Shut the door after you leave.” 

Peter paused in the doorway, looking back at her as she sat back down on her bed, her back to him. He wanted to go back in and fix things. They’d never ended the conversation in a fight. Even when game night got heated with Scrabble. But the stubborn part of him didn’t want to have to be the one to apologize first. He was the one in the right. Aurora was a child still and maybe she didn’t understand that. But she would when she had a kid of her own. 

Aurora broke through the silence as he stood there overthinking. “I said leave.” 

Her moody attitude was enough to push away any thoughts Peter had of apologizing. He slammed her door shut and left the tower without stopping to check in with Tony or Pepper. 

 

\--

 

Peter didn’t talk to Aurora the next few days. It wasn’t new for Peter to go a few days without getting a chance to stop by and say hi to Aurora. Sometime he was so busy with work and his own kids, but they were never silent on purpose. 

Tony and Pepper didn’t notice and Peter didn’t bring it up. He really didn’t want them to know what Aurora was up to; there was no need to betray her trust. Especially to Tony. He’d go out and kill the kid. 

And Peter wanted to be able to trust Aurora. He hoped she would realize how stupid she was being and not go. 

But when Friday night rolled around, Peter wasn’t so sure he could trust her. He wanted to. He wanted to be able to stay on the couch with Ned and their kids, watching  _ Bolt  _ for the upteenth time. 

(The kids loved that movie and watched it religiously. Peter knew it was because they loved the pets. Peter also thought it was cute that there were three animals and three of his little ones. He wanted to surprise them with a pet of their own one day. But that was a conversation to have after they adopted their next child.)

But he couldn’t. He had a feeling. Not even a Spidey feeling; he had a worried older brother feeling. So he called Aurora. She didn’t pick up. He knew she was probably still upset with him, so he wasn’t too surprised when she didn’t answer. Even after he watched over an hour of the movie, the feeling had only gotten worse and he excused himself to the bathroom to call her. He only got her voicemail. 

He went back to the couch and whispered to Ned, “I have to go check on Rory. I’m sorry.” 

Ned kissed his lips softly with an understanding smile. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

He got into his car and drove to the tower, his nerves only getting worse as time passed. He really didn’t want to go in and see if Aurora was home and then track her phone, but he would. 

 

And he did. 

 

He got into the tower, asking FRIDAY not to tell Tony or Pepper that he was there. He took the elevator to the floor with the bedrooms and went straight for Aurora’s room. He knocked on it softly with a whisper. It was almost 11 o’clock; Pepper and Tony could be sleeping. “Aurora.”

There was no answer. 

“Aurora, c’mon. Please answer.” 

Nothing. 

“I’m sorry. Please open the door. Please.”  _ Please be in there. _

There was no answer and Peter had no other choice but to open her door and peek inside. Her bed was empty. She was nowhere in there. 

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath. Then he turned up to the ceiling and in a low voice said, “FRI, can you help me out? Don’t be loud-- I don’t want Tony and Pepper knowing I’m here. Just-- can you track Aurora and let me know where she is?”

“RIght away, Peter,” she replied and Peter cringed at how loud her voice sounded. It took a few seconds before he got a reply. “Aurora is currently on 173 Martin Street.”

Peter nodded, already pulling out his phone to put that address in and hurry to the house. However, when Peter whirled around to leave the room, he stopped short when he saw Tony standing in her doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Peter’s blood ran cold. 

“Whatcha doin, kiddo?” He asked, eyebrows raised and Peter knew by his tone there was no way out of this. 

“Uh, Rory wasn’t answering my phone calls. So I thought I’d come check in on her…” Peter immediately started fidgeting with his phone. 

Tony didn’t look to buy it. “Uh huh. Well, she’s at a study group. She didn’t tell you?”

“N-no. She didn’t. Must have crossed her mind.” Peter  _ really  _ didn’t want to rat her out. 

“I’m sure. Not like she tells you everything.” Tony continued to stare at him and Peter gulped. He hadn’t been on the other side of one of these stares in a while. Usually, he was the one giving it to Ruth when she got into trouble. 

“Nope. Well, she’s just at her friend’s house, it seems. Sorry for bothering you. I’ll just be on my way.” He tried to walk past Tony, but Tony was as set as a stone. 

“Peter.”

“Tony.”

“I’ve known you for how many years?”

“Uh, almost 20, sir.” 

“So, we both know I can see through your bullshit right now.” He paused and his voice went from stern to slightly worried. “It has something to do with Aurora and if you know something’s wrong, please don’t hide it from me. I’m her father and you also being a father can understand.”

Peter sighed heavily. “I promised her…”

He frowned. “What?”

“It’s a secret. I wasn’t supposed to say a word about it.” Peter rubbed the back of his neck. “I can go get her and she’ll be fine--.”

“Peter, don’t you dare,” Tony said, his voice actually a bit startling. He’d never used it against Peter before quite like that. “She is my daughter. I deserve to know what the hell is going on.”

And he did. Tony deserved to know his daughter was at some party with some sketchy guys. But he didn’t want to tell him for three reasons: 1) he really didn’t want to break his promise to Aurora, 2) if Tony found out who was asking his daughter out, there’d be one less college kid in the world, and 3) he didn’t want Tony to be worried about what she was getting up to if Peter could have just brought her back safely. 

“Peter, I’m going to count to three. If I get to three, you’ll be sorry. 1, 2--.”

“She’s at a party with some boy she met,” he said quickly.

Tony’s eyes widened in surprise, but he didn’t let it go. “What else?”

Peter groaned. “Tony,--.”

“Peter. What else?”

With a sigh, he answered, “She met the boy online. He’s 21-years-old. They’re at a frat party.” 

Tony froze and Peter waited to see what he would do. He could see the fury and worry immediately fill his eyes. Peter really wasn’t sure what he was going to do. 

After a moment, he said to Peter, “Get in the car.”

Peter nodded because he knew by the sound of his voice, there was arguing this. Peter followed him through the tower as he hurried out. Peter didn’t say a word. Despite being over 30-years-old and having kids of his own, he knew not to mess with Tony in this mode. 

“FRI, tell Pepper that I had to run out with Peter. We’ll be right back.”

And that was the last thing Tony said the entire time from the point they got outside to the car and the entire drive there. He was staring straight ahead, his hands tight on the steering wheel. 

Peter had never seen him like this. He was genuinely worried about what was going to happen. “Tony...maybe we should pull over for a minute.” 

“No,” Tony snapped. “I’m only a block or so away.”

Peter nodded his head, trying to remain understanding but also convince Tony not to murder anyone on sight. “Okay. Then, pull up in front of the house and just wait a minute to catch your breath. Think this through. I know you and I know you’d go in there guns blazing if you could, and while you could easily handle yourself against a bunch of frat pricks, I’d have to jump in and have your back. And that would get messy on our parts.” He laughed nervously, but Tony didn’t even quirk a small smile. 

He stayed silent and continued driving until they were at the house. There were too many cars around, so Tony pulled onto the lawn and Peter’s eyes widened in surprise. They got a few curses from drunk college kids. One of them threw their red solo cup at the windshield. 

Aurora was inside there with these people. Peter shivered.

Before Tony could get out of the car, Peter grabbed his arm. He remembered the day Tony yelled at him on the roof and how he felt afterwards. “Don’t yell at her please. Just...she’s a kid. She’s gonna fuck up sometimes, but yelling isn’t going to make it any better.”

Tony stared at him for a long moment before answering, “I’m not making any promises. This may be the last night you see your sister because she’s grounded until the end of time.” 

Then he was gone. 

Peter hurried out of the other side after him. He kept right on his heel as they went into the house. Some kid in nothing but cargo shorts and a backwards baseball hat tried to stop them to pay for an entrance fee, but Tony shoved right past him. 

Once they got inside, Peter remembered why he never went to any parties during college. Not only was the invite never shared, but even if it was, there was no way he would willingly go to a house where everyone was cramped in one room stenching of alcohol and sweat with music pounding so loud he could feel the vibrations and the lights strobing violently. It was too much for him; he was already getting close to a sensory overload. But he stayed close to Tony as he pushed through the crowds. 

The GPS in her phone was good enough for Tony to follow exactly to where she was. So they didn’t have to search too hard, but it still meant passing through hoards of drunk college kids. Every girl he saw, barely dressed (one was literally just in her underwear and Peter immediately averted his eyes) just made him more concerned for Aurora. These girls here were adults; they could do what they wanted as long as they wanted to do it and stayed safe and were respected by the guys eyeing them. But Aurora, his baby sister, she was not an adult. She did not belong here.

He just wanted to get her out of her and back to the tower. 

“Are we close?” Peter asked, reaching out to grab to Tony’s shirt out of instinct when someone got too loud just behind him; it sounded like they definitely broke  _ something.  _

“Yeah, she’s just down here. Looks like the kitchen.”

They stepped inside the tiny kitchen and most of them were snacking around the island. Peter was going to be sick from the stench of marijuana and didn’t know how any of them could even breathe, let alone stuff their faces as they sat there. 

And then there she was. 

Aurora was perched on a counter with a drink in her hand and a boy between her legs. His hands were on her hips, but Peter wasn’t sure how long they’d stay there. Peter grabbed Tony’s wrist to try and stop him, but it was no use. Tony was shaking off his grip and stalking over to them before Peter could blink. 

“Get your hands off of my daughter before I feed them to you.” That was a voice that not even the evilest of villains got to hear. 

The kid jumped away from Aurora and without him, she almost lost her balance. Her cheeks were cherry red and Peter could tell from here she was drunk. So did Tony when he rushed forward to catch her before she fell on her face. She grabbed onto his shoulders, blinking as she stared at him for a few times. Then her eyes widened. “Dad, what are doing here?”

“I could ask you the same question, missy,” he said, helping her off of the counter. 

“I don’t-- what--how…” she stuttered out and then looked behind Tony where Peter was standing. She saw him and the confusion turned to hurt to betrayal to anger in less than 5 seconds. “He told you?”

Peter flinched at the tone of her voice. 

“We’re going home, Aurora,” Tony said. Then he turned to the boy that looked just as drunk, staring over at them with wide eyes. “And she is 17. So, unless you want to find out what the inside of a jail cell looks like-- or better yet, a coffin-- make sure you stay the fuck away from her.” 

The boy backed away, stumbling slightly. 

Peter glared at him because he deserved the wrath of a protective dad  _ and  _ older brother. “And I’d clear this house out soon. Police are about to get word of a party at this address with underage drinking.”

The boy nodded and turned around, presumably going to warn his friends. Aurora called after him. “Wait, Cory! Come back!” 

He wasn’t coming back. Smart boy. 

Aurora grunted, shoving against Tony’s chest. “You scared him away! What the hell?” 

Peter knew it was the alcohol making her behave like this. He had never even seen her want to take a sip of any drink. So, this was a surprise. Peter didn’t like it. 

He pulled off his jacket and attempted to wrap it around her because that dress did little to function as actual clothing. But she pulled away from him with a glare. Peter jerked his hands back at the look. 

“You’re in a world of trouble when we get home,” Tony said, keeping a tight hold of her as they started walking back towards the exit. The people around them were starting to thin out and the ones still there were too wasted to even acknowledge anything going on around them. 

Aurora stopped fighting them at least as they left. Peter kept his distance from the two-- more so because of Aurora. The look she gave him left an unsettling feeling in his stomach. 

Tony’s car had collected more crushed cans and cups since they parked it. There was even two kids making out against the hood. Peter made a face and shooed them away as Tony got Aurora into the car safely. 

Once the three of them were inside the car, Tony wasted not a moment before pulling away. Peter could tell he was still angry, but he was also worried slightly at Aurora being so intoxicated. He glanced at her in the rearview mirror and said, “If you need to be sick, just let it out. I can clean the car.” 

She only grunted. 

Peter stared out the window as the silence only got worse. He was waiting for someone to say  _ something _ . But Aurora didn’t utter a word and Tony only glance back at her, concern growing as they drove. 

By the time they got back to the tower, Tony’s fury was gone. He had settled down and knew at the moment, taking care of Aurora was more important than yelling at her. He could handle the punishment later, when she’d actually be coherent and remember it. 

Peter got out of the car first and went to the back to help her out, but she shoved him out of her way and stumbled to her feet. Peter tried not to be too hurt. Especially when Tony grabbed her before she fell and she leaned into his hold. 

Peter swallowed past the anxiety and followed them inside. 

The elevator ride up was silent. Peter stayed in one corner, huddling in on himself as much as he could. 

They stepped out of it when they got to the living room and Pepper was waiting there on the couch. SHe shot up when she saw them. “What happened-- Aurora?” She did a double take and scrunched her nose. “Are… you...is that you that reeks like a bar?”

“Yes,” Tony answered. “She decided to go to a party with college kids and get drunk. Funny that she told us she was going to a study session.” He huffed and then shook his head. “But we’ll deal with the consequences later. Right now, I just want to get her in bed and---.”

“What are you still doing here?” Aurora’s harsh voice cut through Tony’s voice and everyone turned to stare at her in shock. Peter was even more shocked to see her staring at him. That question was for  _ him.  _

Peter took a step back, his heart racing slightly. “Uh...I just wanted to make sure you got back safe. See if I could help…” He looked from her to Pepper and Tony. They looked just as confused at her attitude as he was.

“Haven’t you helped enough?” She sneered. “You did a good job tattling to my Dad. Do you want a reward?”

Peter started fidgeting with his jacket that he hadn’t put back on since offering it to Aurora and she refused. “I’m sorry, Rory. I didn’t mean to. I--.”

“Didn’t mean to?” She slurred. “Can’t trust you with anything.”

“I was worried,” Peter insisted. He was the adult. He shouldn’t have to explain himself. “I didn’t rat you out.” 

“He’s right,” Tony said. “He tried to cover you, but I forced it out of him. Don’t blame him.”

“Sure,” Aurora scoffed. “Can’t just let me have my fun.” She grumbled, “Probably just jealous I was invited to a party, unlike he ever was.”

Peter hated the way those words made him feel so little. He felt like he was back in high school again and Flash was backing him up against a locker, spitting out every insult that came to mind just to tear him down. He never expected that Aurora would ever be the one making him feel like that.

Neither did Pepper or Tony. Pepper gasped at the accusation. “Aurora Stark, I don’t know where you got this attitude from, but I suggest you drop it.”

Peter couldn’t say a word. His chest was rising and falling as he willed himself not to panic. He was fine. He was safe. Aurora was just drunk. She didn’t mean anything by the words. 

“Apologize to your brother and then you’re going to bed,” Tony said, leaving no room to argue it. 

She glared. “Some brother he is. Makes a promise and can’t even keep it.”

“Aurora, your safety was in danger. I’m glad he thought to find you,” Tony said, furrowing his brow. He was probably trying to understand where this side of Aurora had come from too. Because Peter had no idea. She had never been this cruel to anyone, let alone Peter. 

“You know I’m really good at spilling secrets too,” Aurora said, trying to stand up straighter. “I got lots of Peter’s secrets to share. I’d love to.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Rory,--.”

“Aurora, please stop. You’ve had too much to drink. Come up to bed with me. We’ll figure this out tomorrow,” Pepper said, her voice pleading. She came over to try and take her in her arms, but Aurora stumbled backwards. Tony kept his hold on her arm so she didn’t fall. 

“Dad, Ruth didn’t break the TV in the den. Peter did and she took the blame,” Aurora said. 

_ Oh, so they were doing this?  _ Aurora was really gonna start spilling dirt that he trusted her with. His heart raced faster as he wondered what the hell she was going to say. He prayed she didn’t say a word about him and Ned’s news. 

“Peter once ate so much food at a street fair that he threw it all up inside your car on the ride home. He asked to borrow it the entire weekend so he could get it cleaned without you knowing.”

“Okay, very funny,” Peter said, trying to keep the nervousness from his voice. He could trust her with the heavy stuff. 

“Peter got into a fight with a parent when picking me up from school one day because they made fun of Dad. That’s why he wasn’t allowed to pick me up for a week, not because he was too busy.”

“Aurora, please--.” 

“Peter came to me crying once because he was afraid of being Spider-Man once he had kids to come home to.”

Peter felt Tony’s eyes on him as his cheeks heated up. “Rory, I’m sorry. C’mon, stop.”

“Peter is terrified of his kids being as much of a freak as he was in high school.”

“Stop. Please,” Peter begged desperately.

Tony tried to stop her now too. “Aurora, you’re acting like a child. Stop it.”

She smirked, turning to look Peter right in the eyes. “Speaking of child...guess what?”

Peter’s eye widened. “Aurora,  _ please _ don’t tell them. Please, Rory. I beg of you. Please.”

When Tony spoke, he sounded confused, but he tried to keep his voice stern. “Aurora, if Peter trusted you, don’t--.”

She ignored them both and she said, “Ned and Peter are adopting another kid.”

The room went quiet. Peter couldn’t believe she actually did it. The secret was out...he couldn’t surprise them now.

Tony’s voice was low and Peter couldn’t hear it well enough over the pounding of his heart in his ears to be able to scope out his reaction. “You’re gonna have another kid?”

Peter turned to look at Tony, speechless. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He swallowed past a lump in his throat, opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

This seemed to click in Tony’s head and he turned to stare at his daughter in disappointment. “You’re going to bed. And when you’re sober, you’re so in trouble. Especially for ruining your brother’s big surprise. After he trusted you with all of that and you just spill it to us?”

“He did it too. I’m just better at the game.” It took her a few tries, but she was able to cross her arms over her chest. 

“I’m sorry, Aurora,” Peter said, not able to get his voice above a whisper. “I said I was sorry-- I didn’t mean to.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Of course you didn’t,” she said sarcastically. “You just had to shove your nose in my business like you’re my father. Well, you’re not my dad!” She said, waving her hand. “You’re not even my brother.” 

That was the knife plunged into his heart. 

“Aurora!” Both Tony and Pepper said at once. 

Peter shook his head, feeling a lump swelling in his throat. “It’s fine. I know she doesn’t mean it. Just let her get it all out.” He’d been in her same position before and he knew what it was like to just need to vent it all out. He just had to keep reminding himself she didn’t mean it. 

“I so do.”

_ No, you don’t. Please.  _

“What’s gotten into you?” Tony said, his voice sounding so frustrated. “He’s your brother. He’s been your brother since before your were even born.”

“Even you,” she slurred, only standing up still because Tony was holding her up. “Even you, Peter. You just want me for my Dad. Tony Stark. That’s why you’re here. It’s why you’ve always been here…” She grunted in frustration. 

Peter couldn’t barely speak as he shook his head. “No, I promise…”

Tony’s voice was stronger than his was. “Aurora, you know that’s bullshit. Peter loves you.”

She shook her head as she started to cry, tears falling down her cheeks. Her next words were mumbled, but no matter how low her voice was, everyone in the room heard her words as clear as day. “I’m sorry you lost your family, but that doesn’t mean you can just come take mine.”

“Aurora Maria Stark,” Tony said, his voice full of disbelief. He couldn’t finish his sentence. What was he even supposed to say to that? Peter didn’t even know himself. 

“No,” he told told Tony. “It’s okay. She’s right.”

“He’s my dad,” she whispered. “Not yours.”

And that was the twisting of the knife. 

Actually, Peter has had a knife stuck deep into his side and twisted inside him many times before and it never hurt as much as this moment did. He felt his own eyes welling with tears. He was shaking, but he hoped it wasn’t too noticeable as he held his jacket tight in his hands.

Tony tried to calm the situation. “You’re both my kids. I love you both so much. Aurora, I don’t know why you’re doing this, but please, just-- you’re drunk, okay? And you’re upset. But that doesn’t mean you can speak to your br--.” Aurora grunted and Tony sighed. “That doesn’t mean you can speak to Peter like that.”

Peter turned his head away to try and get control of the tears that threatened to spill. He never wanted to hurt Aurora. He really didn’t. He loved her so damn much. So, if that meant taking a step back so she could be happy, then he would give it to her. 

FInally able to speak around the lump in his throat, he looked up at Pepper and Tony. He knew they could see the tear spill over his eye and trail down his cheek before he could wipe it away with his shaky fingers. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I’ll see my way out then.” He nodded once before turning towards the elevator. 

Tony called out his name. “Peter, wait--.”

He was interrupted by the sound of retching and Peter knew he was distracted enough. When he turned back around to enter the elevator, he gave the two of them a small smile. “It’s okay, Mr. Stark. Take care of your daughter.” 

The elevator doors shut and he finally let the tears out. He fell against the wall and to the ground. Covering his mouth did nothing to stifle the sobs that we was letting out. He hadn’t called Tony ‘Mr. Stark’ in years. Not since he turned 21, they shared this first drink together and Tony convinced him to finally call him Tony. 

Thankfully, FRIDAY knew he wasn’t ready to leave the elevator anytime soon, so when it stopped on the bottom floor, the doors stayed shut. She spoke softly, “I don’t suggest leaving in this emotional state, Peter. May I take you up to your bedroom floor?”

That wasn’t his bedroom. Not anymore. “No, thank you, FRIDAY,” he said, sniffling. “Just give me a minute to stop crying.”

“Of course, Peter.”

Peter tried to calm himself down and forget the mess that just happened, but he couldn’t get Aurora’s words out of his head as he sat there and cried. 

He obviously didn’t belong here. 

And if even Aurora didn’t want him around, then who did…?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry


	6. the last seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken me over a week of constant writing, editing, rewriting, and I'm ready for it to finally be wrapped up. Please ignore any mistakes in this, if I reread through it another time I was surely going to insane. Seriously. This wasn't even the original chapter I had planned out when I outlined this fic. And I'm so glad I changed it. 
> 
> This chapter is entitled after one of my favorite episodes of Castle...as were some of the other chapters. 
> 
> Warnings in this chapter for car crashes and several panic attacks.

Aurora’s head was pounding harder than she’d ever felt before. Except for maybe that summer when she and Peter were bike racing and she crashed and smacked her head against the concrete. That hadn’t been a fun few weeks. Aurora still cringed when she thought about it. 

But unlike that time, she wasn’t sure what was leading her to feel like this. She couldn’t remember much of the previous night after she got to that party. Maybe it was a hangover? She’d never drank like that before so maybe she just drank too much at the party? Were hangovers really  _ this  _ bad?

She lifted her head off her pillow and squinted her eyes open to see a tall glass of water and some Advil next to it. Aurora had seen her mom do that for Dad and Peter after they went out with Uncle Rhodey and Uncle Happy. So she had gotten drunk. And either her mom or her dad knew she had gotten drunk...or maybe both of them did…

Aurora picked herself up slowly and reached for the cup of water and Advil. She swallowed it down with a wince before rubbing her hand over her face. “Ugh...FRIDAY, is Mom or Dad up?”

“Yes, Aurora. They are both in the kitchen. Should I alert them that you are awake?”

Aurora chewed on her bottom lip. “Do they seem mad?”

“They do seem tense.” 

Aurora sighed. She didn’t want to have to go face them because they were definitely going to yell at her for drinking. How they found out, she had no idea. She didn’t even know how she got home. Maybe she stumbled home too drunk. She knew Peter wasn’t crazy about her going to the party, but if is she called him, drunk and asking for help, he would drop everything to get her a ride. He’d even let her crash in his apartment until she was better so her parents never forgot. So, Peter definitely wasn’t involved in getting her home...which meant it had to be one of her parents. She might as well get it over with as quickly as she could. Waiting wouldn’t put her in any less trouble. 

“I guess I should head downstairs then,” she sighed heavily as she started to get out of her bed. “Hopefully, they won’t actually kill me.”

“Should I give them a warning you’re going to be joining them?”

Aurora ran a hand through her messy hair and nodded. “Yeah, FRI. Tell them I’m coming down soon.”

Before she went downstairs, she had to get unchanged from the clothes she was still wearing from last night. There was no reason to remind her father about how little she covered herself at some college party. She pulled on a Midtown High sweatshirt that Peter had left around once and she snagged it to keep for herself and a pair of sweats. 

She went down the stairs, taking a deep breath before stepping into the kitchen. Dad was at the counter, making another cup of coffee and Mom was setting a plate full of eggs on the table. She looked up and gave her a small smile when she saw her. “Good morning, baby. How are you feeling?”

Aurora didn’t move from her spot in the doorway. “Uh, my head hurts.”

“I’m sure it does,” she answered. “Did you see the Advil I left by your bed?”

“Yeah. I took it...thank you.” Aurora tugged on her sleeve awkwardly as she stood there. 

Mom tilted her head, patting the table where she placed the plate of food. “Come eat. FRIDAY told me you were coming so it’s hot still.”

She nodded her head and walked inside, taking a seat at the table. She reached for the orange juice and drank it as she waited for one of them to say...something. Mom only smiled again as she took a seat across from her. 

Aurora put her glass down and said, “Okay...I know I screwed up. So where’s my speech about no more drinking? My grounding? Anything?”

“Aurora...you can’t lie to us,” Mom said. “Especially about something like that. If Peter hadn’t told us, then who knows what the hell might have happened to you.” 

Aurora’s head snapped up. “Wait...Peter  _ told you?”  _

“He sure did. Him and Dad had to run out and find you. Sounded like they made it just in time, too.” Her mom didn’t look angry, but she did look worried. She couldn’t tell how her dad was reacting because he still hadn’t turned around. 

“I can’t believe he actually told on me,” she said, more to herself, but her parents heard it too. 

Her mom sighed as she said, “Aurora, Peter was only looking out for you. You have to remember he’s a dad too. He’s got the same reactions your dad will have to something dangerous.”

Aurora shrugged her shoulders, playing with the food on her plate. “I guess...but I told him it was a secret. Thought he could keep those,” she mumbled. 

Her dad slammed the cabinet door shut a little harshly and Aurora shot her head up to look at him. He still wouldn’t turn around as he grumbled under his breath. 

“Dad?” Aurora said hesitantly. “Are you okay?” 

Dad didn’t answer, but Mom did. “He’s fine, honey.”

He obviously wasn’t and Aurora knew he was probably upset about where she was last night. “I’m sorry, Dad...I know you’re upset that I lied and that I was drinking.” She looked down at her plate, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “But I’m fine. It’s okay. I was just a stupid kid. Kids do stupid stuff. I mean, at my age, you were doing way--.”

Finally, her dad turned around, but Aurora wished he didn’t. She’d never seen him so angry. “Don’t even think about finishing that sentence,” he snapped. “You are not being raised like I was, so I expect you never to act like me.”

“I know, I just--.”

Dad continued on as if she didn’t say a word. “And, yes, you were incredibly stupid and reckless. You went to a party with college kids, drank until you could barely walk, and were with some guy that didn’t care about the fact you can’t give consent for two reasons: you were drunk off your ass and you are a child. A damn child! So, when Peter tried to find you, without me knowing, I was glad I cracked it out of him.”

“Peter--.”

“Do you know what would have happened to you if Peter didn’t tell me? You’d probably still be there, in some bed with whatever sleazebag you found. Not that you’d remember what happened.” He paused as he turned back around, bracing his hand on the counter. “He would have raped you. He was going to if Peter didn’t save you and then you…”

Aurora felt her eyes burning as her dad’s words. She didn’t remember any of it...only meeting him at the party. But he had promised that they didn’t have to do anything yet. She was an idiot for believing him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry too.” 

Aurora looked to her mom, but she only shook her head. Aurora was on her own for this one. “I screwed up. I know I did. I won’t do it again. I promise.” 

“Well, that fixes one problem, doesn’t it?”

“What’s...what’s the other one?” Aurora whispered, afraid of the answer. 

Dad turned around again. “Why don’t you ask your brother? Oh wait...you don’t have one of those, do you? Not that he’d answer your calls because he sure as hell isn’t answering mine.” 

Aurora sat up straighter in her seat. “What’s wrong with Peter? Is he hurt?”

Grabbing his coffee, Dad started walking out of the kitchen. But before he left, he turned around and said, “For your sake, I hope he isn’t.” 

Once he was gone, Aurora turned to her mom. “Mom, what does he mean? What happened?” 

Her mom leaned over to brush a hand through her hair with a sympathetic look on her face. “You’re going to have to ask FRIDAY to show you if you don’t remember. If I told you, I don’t think you’d believe me.”

Aurora swallowed past the fear making a lump in her throat. Her mom took a seat next to her and said, “I’ll sit with you.”

“Okay...FRIDAY, can you show me what they’re talking about? I don’t remember.”

“Of course,” FRIDAY replied before a holographic screen appeared in front of them. The scene started to play and as Aurora watched herself hit Peter with everything that would hurt him. She called him out on his insecurities, spilled his secrets, told Mom and Dad about the new baby, told him he wasn’t her brother...she kicked him out of their family. The family that was Peter’s long before Aurora’s.

The look on his face as she said all those nasty things to him would never leave her mind.  She did that to him. Her words hurt him. 

She turned her head to face her mom and immediately insisted, “I didn’t mean it! I swear-- I mean...I never would say that. I don’t know why I did that!” 

Her mom took her into her arms to try and console her. “I know, baby. But you were drinking…” 

Aurora squeezed tighter to her mom. “I didn’t know!” How she wished she had listened to Peter. “S-sometimes I get maybe a little jealous of Peter because of how close he seems to be with Dad, but I never wanted to kick him out of the family.” Her eyes were burning with tears. 

“Oh, honey, it’s okay.” Mom soothed her gently. “Dad and Peter are just different. He loves both of you endlessly. Just because he’s close to Peter doesn’t mean he’s not close to you. He loves his baby girl.” 

Rationally, Aurora knew that. She knew that her dad loved her more than anything in the world. But when she saw Peter, even at age 30, come to the tower after work and collapse onto her dad’s lap, she couldn’t help that tinge of jealousy. Because, yes, Aurora would be able to do that when she was an adult, but it made her think. It made her think about how Peter was her dad’s kid before she was even born. Was she the odd one out then? Maybe she was the one that didn’t belong in the little family. 

“You're thinking way too much,” Mom whispered, kissing the top of her head. 

“Dad hates me,” Aurora said. “I got rid of his favorite kid.” 

Mom pulled away, narrowing her eyes at her. “We both know those are nothing but lies. Your father could  _ never  _ hate you. That’s ridiculous.” 

“You heard him,” Aurora grumbled. “He couldn’t even look at me.”

“He’s worried, Aurora. You really put yourself in a horrible situation last night. Pete and your dad got to you just in time. He’s your father and he was terrified. And now Peter ran off and he’s not answering any of his calls.”

Aurora wiped at her eyes. “Did he call Ned?”

She nodded her head. “He didn’t go home last night.” 

At that, Aurora felt her heart rate pick up at that. He didn’t go home and her dad wasn’t going insane trying to find him? “He didn’t go home? Then where did he go?” 

Her mom shrugged her shoulders, but Aurora knew she had an idea. Just like Aurora did. It was obvious. “You think I should go talk to him?”

“I can’t promise you it’ll fix everything, but it’s a start.”

* * *

“You sure you don’t want me to wait out front?” Happy asked after pulling up in front of the apartment building. 

“Nah...I don’t know how long this will take,” Aurora said, opening the door to get out of the car. 

“Alright. But call me in a few hours to let me know either way. If you don’t, I’ll activate the trackers in your earrings,” Happy warned, although he didn't sound very serious. 

“I’ll take them off,” she shot back. 

“Don’t you dare,” Happy said, his voice now serious. “Your dad will kill me.”

Aurora scoffed. “Get in line.” 

Happy’s face softened. “He doesn’t wanna kill you, kid.”

“You weren’t there. He wants to kill me.” Aurora refused to look at him. She told him what happened on the ride over here so Happy understood why he was driving her around and why the Stark family was in such a bad mood. 

“You’re a kid. Kids make mistakes. Your parents and your brother love you. It’s going to be okay. Promise.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, not wanting to sound bratty to Happy. She knew he was only trying to help, but she really didn’t think anyone could help her now. 

“I mean it. I promised you. Have I ever broken a promise to you, squirt?” 

“No.”

“Exactly. So, go in there and fix this and it’ll all be okay again.” 

Aurora took a deep breath and nodded her head. “Okay. I’ll go in and try. Thank you.” 

“Call me.”

She stepped out of the car and before she shut the door, she said, “I will. Don’t worry.” 

Happy smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be fine, kiddo. Don’t worry.”

Aurora sighed, nodding her head once more before shutting the door and heading up towards the apartment. She didn’t hear Happy drive away until she was stepping inside the building. She went up in the elevator to the seventh floor, dreading this the entire way. 

She wasn’t even sure Peter was here and if he wasn’t, she doubted Aunt May would even want to see her after what she did to her nephew. 

Even when she was outside of May’s door, she couldn’t bring herself to knock right away. Instead, she stood there for a long moment to steady her heart rate. She took a calming breath before finally rapping her knuckles against the door. 

She held her breath as she waited for the door to open. When it did, she still didn't dare move, even to release her breath. May was standing there, eyebrows raised with a knowing look on her face. “Was wondering when you were gonna stop by.”

Aurora didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to look her in the eyes after stabbing her nephew in the back again and again? “May,” she breathed out, her voice sounding shaky. “I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it and I feel horrible. I wish I could take it all back. I didn't mean a word. I was so stupid--.” 

“Aurora, stop. I'm not angry or looking for an apology.”

“But I…” Aurora trailed off because she really didn't want to tell May what she did. Even if she already knew.

“I know. But just because I don't want an apology doesn't mean I don't want to talk. But I think we can do that inside, don't you?” 

Aurora nodded her head, following May inside. Despite practically growing up in this apartment, she felt so out of place at that moment. May shut the door and turned to look at her. “Aurora, I'm not going to bite. You can relax.”

“You have every reason to,” she replied. 

“Oh, baby,” she said almost sadly. She walked over and took Aurora’s hand as she sat down on the couch. Aurora followed suit, still tense with worry. “You don't have to be so worried. I know you're upset, but it's going to be okay. Siblings fight. Trust me, I've had many front row seats to Richard and Ben going at it.”

“B-but this time, it's different,” Aurora said, feeling her eyes burning up. “I said  _ horrible  _ things to him. You can't even imagine.”

“People fight, Aurora. Everyone does.” Aunt May rubbed her hand softly. 

“I hurt him. I hurt him just because I wanted to. And I don't know why I wanted to. Maybe because I'm a horrible person.” She used the hand Aunt May wasn't holding to wipe at her eyes. 

Aunt May actually laughed, although it wasn't very happy. “You made a mistake. Doesn't make you a horrible person; it makes you human.” 

Aurora sniffled, rubbing her nose with her sleeve. “God, the worst mistake. If I could take it back--.” 

Aunt May moved her hand to cup her cheek. “Honey, we make mistakes to learn from them. If we could just undo all of our mistakes then no one would ever learn. Don't let your past define you. You are the you that you are right now. The one that came to make things right.”

Aurora nodded her head as Aunt May wiped away a tear with her thumb. “I want to apologize to him. And Mom said that he didn't go home to Ned, so I figured he came here.”

“You figured right. Came to my door last night, trying not to cry. But I know my baby and got him to crack within minutes. Told me everything…” Her face turned serious as she looked at Aurora. “I love you, Aurora. So does Peter. That's why I'm going to help you two figure this mess out. But you have to promise me that you won't do this to him again. You two can get into as many little arguments as you want, but no more pulling out the heavy stuff.”

“I promise,” she agreed quickly, sitting up straight. “I will never hurt him like this again.”

Aunt May stared at her and for a moment, she was afraid she wasn't going to believe her. But then she leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead and then smiled. “I know you won't.” Turning around on the couch, she faced the hallway and called, “Peter! Can you come out here for a minute? I need your help.”

No more than three minutes later, Peter was walking out of the hallway and into the living room. He was wearing a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt that once was too big but now fit perfectly. Aurora recognized it easily as his Uncle Ben’s sweatshirt, the one he always wore when he was upset. 

Aurora swallowed. He was wearing it because of her. 

“What's up, May…?” Peter trailed off as he stared at Aurora. His eyes widened and he took a step back. His gaze went from Aurora to Aunt May, back to Aurora, and finally to Aunt May again. “What is this?”

“Aurora dropped by. I thought it'd be nice for you two to run out for me.” Aunt May’s voice wasn't stern, but Aurora knew her well enough to know that there was no getting out of this. Peter definitely knew too. 

“I can go anywhere you need; I don't need the company,” Peter replied, refusing to look over at her. 

Aurora wanted to feel hurt by it, but she knew she deserved it. “Peter, I just want to talk.”

Peter’s jaw visibly clenched. “May, why can't I only this alone?”

“Because I'm asking you to bring your sister along.”

Peter mumbled something under his breath and Aurora was glad she couldn't hear it. She wasn't sure she'd like what he had to say at that comment. 

“Peter, I need you to go to the Petrillo bakery. I'm in charge of dessert for family dinner. Can you go pick up my order please?” Aunt May asked, her voice calm even through the thick tension in the room.

“Oh, we're still invited to that?” Peter asked, the tone of his voice making Aurora flinch. 

Family dinner was once a week when they'd all meet at the tower for dinner. All meaning everybody: Peter, Ned, their kids, Aunt May, Uncle Happy, and Uncle Rhodey all came over for dinner and dessert. They took turns deciding who was providing dinner and dessert. Usually, it was supposed to be homemade, but no one complained when Aunt May skipped that rule. 

“Of course we're still invited. Now get going if you want to be back in time.” 

Peter huffed and turned around back down the hallway. “Fine. Just let me get changed.”

Aurora looked at Aunt May anxiously. “I don't think he wants me to go.”

Aunt May waved her hands, dismissing her worries. “He'll be fine. And he really doesn't have a say. Just be patient with him and apologize...you two can figure this out.”

“He looks almost as angry as Dad did.” Aurora chewed her lip, staring at the hallway where Peter had disappeared. 

“He's acting a little childish right now...he’ll be okay. You’ll both be okay.”

Aurora took in a deep breath and hoped she was right. Aunt May was rarely ever wrong before...hopefully that wouldn’t start now. 

* * *

Peter was driving with white knuckles squeezed against the wheel and his mouth was in a tight line. He hadn’t said a word since they got in the car. Aurora had tried several times to get him to say a word, anything, but it didn’t work. 

After 20 minutes of driving and silent treatment, Aurora was starting to get irritated. She huffed and said, “God, Aunt May was right. You really are acting like a child.”

Finally, Peter spoke, but Aurora didn’t like what came next, “Aunt May? How is she your aunt if we’re not family?”

Aurora groaned, hitting her head against the headrest. “Peter, c’mon, stop it.” 

“What? You’re the one that said it,” Peter said, shrugging his shoulders. “If I’m not your brother then she can’t be your aunt.” 

“Peter, I didn’t mean it. I was drunk. I don’t even remember saying all that stuff!”

“Yeah, I know how alcohol works. I’ve drunk. I’ve said shit while being drunk.” He continued to stare straight ahead.

Aurora felt some of the panic drain away.  _ He understood.  _ “Then you know!”

Peter glanced over at her with a scoff. “Yeah, I've been drunk and said shit I didn't mean to. You know what I've said? I told May her cooking was probably worse than burnt rubber. I told Tony that I set a fire in the lab when he was away one weekend. I told Happy he sucked at Mario Kart. I told Ned I wanted another baby.”

Aurora’s heart skipped a beat at the mention of the future addition to their family. The whole she had spoiled. She looked down at heart lap as Peter continued. 

“You know what all of those have in common? The truth. Whenever I'm drunk, I tell the truth. No filter. That's what happens, Aurora. So all of that stuff, yeah, I know you didn't mean to say it. I believe you. But that doesn't mean that some part of you, deep down, didn't mean it.”

Aurora felt tears pool from her eyes. Peter couldn't really believe she meant all that… “Peter, please. I'm sorry. I swear I didn't mean a single word of it.” 

Peter's glared faltered when she spoke in a broken voice. But then he cleared his throat. “It's fine, Aurora. I get it. Don't worry; I'm giving you guys space.”

“I don't want space!” She shouted. “I want you to listen!” 

“I listened!” He said back, his voice not as loud but still booming. “I heard everything I needed to hear just fine last night.”

“I'm sorry. I was a bitch. Total bitch. And I'm sorry. Tell me how I can make it up to you. How can I prove that I didn't mean it?” 

Peter didn't answer her; he only huffed and rolled his eyes. “You've proved enough. Just stop.” 

“No! Not until you stop and listen to me!” Aurora cried. If she let Peter go now she might never get him back. 

“Fine!” Peter yelled back, jerking the car to the side of the road and putting it in park. 

The car behind them honked at the sudden change of course, but they kept on driving. The bakery was deeper in Long Island and these roads were not like city streets. This road wasn't abandoned, but it was definitely off the well-beaten path. It was one of those roads that went one for miles with nothing but wooded areas around it. There were no other cars on the road now that the one behind them sped away.

Once they were stopped, Peter crossed his arms over his chest and turned to face Aurora. “What?”

Now that she had his full attention, she wiped at her eyes and took a deep breath. “I really am sorry. I know I said things-- horrible things. But I didn't mean a word of it.”

Peter rolled his eyes again. “Sure.”

“Peter, seriously. I love you. You're my older brother and I should never have said all those things, knowing it would make you upset.” 

“But you did.”

“I know. And I can't change that. But I can try to fix it.” 

“So you want me just to go back to trusting you again? Just like that? I'm sorry, do you need more of my secrets to spill?” He turned back around and smacked his hand against the steering wheel.  _ “Fuck.” _

“Pete…” Aurora said quietly as she watched him squeeze his eyes shut and rub at them furiously. 

“No. Just stop. For a second-- I can't.” He took another moment to try and regulate his breathing but only managed to get control of it somewhat. “You don't get it. You're supposed to be the one person that doesn't make me feel like... _ this.”  _ He grabbed at his chest, where his heart was. 

Aurora could barely see him through her tears. “I know. I know. And I'm so sorry, Peter.”

“I thought you understood. You knew. You knew what Flash did an and how it made me feel and you just ripped a page right out of his book.” He went back to scrubbing at his eyes. 

“I was wro--.” 

“Shut up.” Peter's head snapped up and his watery eyes opened wide. 

Aurora frowned. “Peter, I thou--.” 

Peter reached over and covered mouth. “Shush.” 

Aurora furrowed her brow but listened. She could hear the roar of two engines approaching. 

Peter looked over her shoulder, out her window and his eyes got even wider. Before she could even turn around to look, Peter was ripping his hand off her face to undo her seatbelt. Then he pulled her from her seat in a tight embrace. 

She had no time to wonder what the hell was going on before there was something crashing into their car. It sent them flying and rolling. Aurora honestly had no idea what was happening. All she knew was that Peter was holding her tight and keeping her safe as they bounced around with their car. 

When the car finally stopped moving, the noises gradually began to dull. The destruction of metal was replaced with creaks of it settling. She could hear two voices yelling about the crash, asking the other what they should do and the other replied to haul ass outta there. 

A hit and run.

Her head was tucked tight against Peter’s chest and she hadn't been hurt a bit. Only rattled. Extremely. 

She turned her head to where she had been sitting a minute earlier. The entire passenger side was crushed. Peter had them pulled in between the two front seats as if he hadn't it back to his seat in time. His side of the car was fine. If he'd stayed there, he'd just have to worry about the airbag. 

But he didn't. He moved to get her safe.

And he was panicking now. 

He was on top of her, pinning her body to the rood of the car now that it was turned upside down on them. His eyes were squeezed shut and his chest was rising and falling inhumanly fast. She could hear him wheezing with each breath. 

“Peter--.”

He cut her off with a whine. It was a sound she expected to hear from one of Peter’s kids. Not their father. 

“Peter,” she said again, more softly. 

He struggled in the spot he was stuck in, trying to get out. But all it did was cause him to let out a pained yell. He didn’t even time to calm himself down from that before he was wheezing again. If he didn’t stop, Aurora was certain he’d pass out. 

“Peter! Pete, you need to stop!”

He let out a small cry and Aurora wish she knew where his pain was coming from. But she could barely move to check herself out, let alone Peter. “I can’t-- it’s stuck. Get it off.”

The car? Was that what he was freaking out about? “It’s just the car, Peter. If you calm down we can try and figure a way out.” Hopefully, Peter could. He was Spider-Man; he was used to situations like this. 

“Can’t lift it,” Peter whimpered. “Don’t have the suit. And it’s crushing me--.” 

His voice sounded so young. So scared. Aurora had never heard him like this before. “Peter, it’s okay. I’m right here. We’re going to figure this out--.” 

“Someone help!” He screamed, a cry breaking his voice before he let out a sob. His eyes were open now, darting around insanely quick. “Please! I’m down here! I’m stuck!” 

The yelling hurt Aurora’s ears because she was only inches from Peter, but she couldn’t worry about her headache growing worse. Not when Peter was freaking out, looking around him but not seeming to  _ see  _ anything. 

“Peter, you okay?” She asked, her voice hesitant from fear. 

Peter didn’t answer. He only kept sobbing and gasping for air. 

Then it clicked. In fact, Aurora was ashamed it had taken her so long to realize what was going on. Peter was having a panic attack. He couldn’t see or hear her. He had no idea where he was. He was stuck in whatever nightmare his mind was playing for him. 

She wasn’t positive about how she was supposed to handle one. She’d seen her dad get them before, she’d seen Peter get them before, she’s even seen Uncle Rhodey have one before. But they scared her. She always turned away or left the room. Someone else, an adult, usually helped calm the other person down. 

Aurora was even more terrified now; she was directly underneath Peter as he had a panic attack. But she had to help him. Because Peter had no one else. And he’d help her if it were her having the panic attack. 

He was freaking out because he was stuck. For whatever reason, Peter was terrified of being pinned down like he was. It reminded him of something traumatic that Aurora had to distract him from. 

She wasn’t sure how the hell she was supposed to do that, so she started out with the only thing she could think of. Talking. “Hey, Petey, calm down. It’s me. It’s Rory. You’re okay. You hear me? You’re okay.” 

He did, in fact, not hear her because he showed no change in behavior or panic level. There was zero recognition in his eyes. 

She could do nothing else but try again. “Petey, hey, it’s okay. You’re okay.” 

Peter was mumbling under his breath as he continued to sob. 

Aurora wasn’t sure why she did it, but her hands were reaching out before she could stop them. She cupped his face with her hands against his cheeks. He froze, his wide eyes finally settling in front of him. “Mis’er Stark?” He mumbled, still sounding anxious, but at least he wasn’t hyperventilating anymore. 

“Not Mr. Stark. It’s Rory. Your little sister.” She felt herself close to crying just because Peter was so hurt and vulnerable. She had never seen him this bad. “Feel that?” She asked, beginning to rub his cheek gently with her thumb. “That’s me. I’m right here. You’re not alone. I’m right here.” 

Finally, the haze in his eyes began to clear and he was looking at her instead of just staring. He cleared his throat and said, “Rory?” His voice cracked from the damage his screaming had done to his throat, no doubt. 

Aurora tried to hide all of her fear. She had to be strong for Peter. “Yeah. It’s me. You with me?”

Peter was still breathing heavy; every time his chest heaved, it pressed against hers. She could feel his heart pounding. “W-What?” 

“We were in a car accident,” she said. “Someone hit us and we went flying off the side of the road.” She studied his face as she spoke, searching for any change in his expression. “You started to panic when you were realized we were stuck.” 

At that, Peter jerked in place, earning another burst of pain as he shouted out. 

“What’s wrong? What hurts?” 

Peter was panting above her, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to calm himself down from the pain again. 

Aurora wasn't sure she wanted to, but still, she looked down, searching for whatever was causing him such pain. She couldn't see anything with the way Peter was pressed against her. She brought a shaky hand to where her stomach was pressed against Peter’s and slipped her hand between them, feeling around. Immediately, she felt her fingers touch something wet and warm. That was blood. One of them was bleeding, most likely Peter because she felt no pain in her abdomen. She tried to quell her panicking as she reached in further and felt something sharp. 

She snatched her hand away and stared at Peter with wide eyes. “Peter, you need to listen for a second. Okay?” 

Funny how she'd been begging him to listen all day and now was when he finally did.

Peter looked at her and said in a low pained voice, “What?”

“You need to lift your chest up. Just a little. I need to see our stomachs.”

Peter paused before lifting himself up slightly with a small cry of pain. 

“Good, that's good.” She praised him before looking down and getting a clear view. There was blood, alright. Peter's blood from the new hole in his side. She could just see the tip of rebate poking out of his skin, only brushing against Aurora. Peter’s body had taken the brunt of it. In through the back and out through the front.

The sight made Aurora sick. 

Peter followed her gaze downward and saw what she saw. “Oh,” he said, his eyes widening slightly. 

“That’s it?  _ Oh?" _  Aurora said incredulously. Only minutes ago, he could barely breathe through panic and now he was eerily calm.

He was only staring at it and blinked a few times. “That hurts,” he said. “Losin’ lotta blood.”

Aurora saw that and hated that there was nothing she could do. They were stuck here. Aurora was pinned underneath Peter, unable to move from her spot and if she couldn’t move from where she was, then Peter couldn’t slip off of the metal. “We’re going to have to wait for help to get here.”

Peter let out a groan as he shifted. “Great.”

“You can rest on me,” she said. “If it hurts to lift yourself up.” She watched as Peter’s arms shook slightly under his weight. 

He shook his head with a poorly hidden whimper. There was a steady trail of blood down his temple, so Aurora guessed he had some level of concussion as well. “Don’t wanna hurt you.”

All she could feel on her legs was intense pressure from the car being crushed around them. His weight on her would be nothing compared to that. “You’re fine, Peter. Relax.”

“Are you hurt?” He asked again. 

“Just my legs,” she admitted. 

Peter frowned. “Your legs?” 

Aurora nodded her head. Now that she didn’t have the distraction of calming Peter down from a panic attack, the pain was hitting her hard. “Our legs must be twisted and stuck in the crushed car.” She hissed in pain. “It fucking hurts.” 

“Huh. Funny,” Peter mumbled. 

Aurora furrowed her brow, confused as to what the hell could be funny in this situation. “What?”

“Can’t feel mine.” 

It took Aurora only a moment to remember he was talking about his legs. She swallowed thickly. “You can’t feel your legs?” 

“Nu-uh,” he said, without a single care. 

Aurora felt herself begin to panic. Peter couldn’t feel his legs. She had seen the shows and read the articles on the news...sometimes people were paralyzed from car accidents like this. Could Peter...could Peter be paralyzed? 

Her heart began to race and she desperately tried to slow it down. She couldn’t freak out. Peter needed her. Freaking out wouldn’t change anything about his legs. She couldn’t even do anything about that until they were free. If he bled out above her, being paralyzed wouldn’t mean a damn thing. 

“You ‘kay?” Peter asked after she had been quiet for too long.

“Peter, I’m okay,” she reassured him. “But we need to get you out of here.” She felt her phone still pressed against her butt in the back pocket, but she couldn’t grab it from the way she was pressed against the roof of the car. “Happy said he was gonna call me and if I didn’t pick up, he was gonna come looking for me. I’m hoping he wasn’t joking.”

Peter furrowed his brow. “Happy?” 

Aurora was scared at how... _ not there  _ Peter sounded. She wasn’t sure if it was the hit to the head he took or from the amount of blood he’d already lost or the panic attack, but his eyes were drooping and Aurora wasn’t sure how much longer he was going to stay conscious. “Yeah, Petey, Happy. I can’t reach my phone.”

Peter blinked and only hesitated a moment before he said, “Karen.” 

“I’m sure she--.”

“Yes, Peter?” 

Aurora jumped at the new voice joining them. She turned her head to stare at Peter’s wrist where his watch was now glowing. Of course, Peter had Karen in that thing. 

“Can you call Happy please?” 

“Right away.” 

Aurora could cry when she heard the ringing start and then stop almost suddenly. “Peter, hey, didn’t think I’d be hearing from you.”

Peter didn’t look capable of holding a conversation, so she quickly spoke up. “Uncle Happy! Happy, can you hear me?” 

“Aurora? What’re you doing with Peter’s phone? Is he driving?” Happy didn’t sound worried, only slightly confused. 

She didn’t have time to explain anything other than: “Happy, we need help!” 

“What? Kiddo, what’s wrong?” He definitely sounded worried now. 

“Someone hit us and we crashed. We’re stuck. Can you come get us?” She was trying to keep the panic out of her voice. She wanted to freak out, but she had to stay calm for Peter. Even if she wanted to cry and have Happy take care of everything, she couldn’t do that until someone else was here for Peter. 

“Crashed? Jesus, I’m coming.” He sounded like he was running now. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine, but Peter...he hit his head and he’s bleeding. A lot.” She looked back down to their stomachs, even though she couldn’t see that metal pole anymore. Still, she could feel it scraping against her stomach, teasing her to how close to being stabbed she was if it weren’t for Peter. Actually, she would have been crushed in her seat if it weren’t for Peter. But he would have been fine if he stayed in his own seat. 

“Bleeding? Can you try and stop it? What happened?”

Aurora shook her head helplessly. “It’s right through his stomach, Happy. I-It’s bad.”

She heard Happy curse under his breath before speaking louder, “Is he awake?” 

“Yeah, but he’s not like him. Peter, can you talk to Happy?” She asked desperately, watching Peter wince as he tried to keep up with the conversation. 

“Hey, Happy,” he mumbled.

Happy’s voice sounded worried, but he was trying to seem unbothered for Peter’s sake. He did a poor job at hiding it, but Peter didn’t notice. “Hey there, buddy. You doing okay?”

“M’fine.” 

“Yeah, I’m sure you are,” he said dubiously. “I’m gonna be right there. Can you hang in there until then?” 

“Dunno.”

“Well...try, please.” His voice was soft and scared.

“Uncle Happy, please help,” Aurora said, her voice thick with tears. 

“I’m coming, sweetie. I’m coming. Just keep him awake. Can you do that?” 

Aurora tried to hold back her sobs as she said, “Uh huh.”

“Such a good girl. So strong,” he said. “No wonder, you’re a Stark.” 

“You’re coming soon?” She asked, trying to keep her voice steady. 

“Yeah. I’m coming. I have to call your father, but I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“Okay,” Aurora said, trying to not sound too scared. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” He paused. “I love you, kiddo.”

Aurora smiled just barely. “I love you too, Happy. I’ll see you soon.” 

“See you two soon.”

Then the call was ended and it was only Aurora and Peter in the car. “You hear that, Peter? Happy is on his way.”

Peter was taking longer to respond as the minutes passed. “Don’t know if I’ll make it that long.”

“No, don’t say that. You’re going to be fine,” she said, using her hands to hold Peter up by his shoulders as he started to lose strength. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and Aurora couldn’t take her eyes off of the small trail of blood from the corner of his mouth. 

“For what?” 

“For actin’ like a dick. I forgive you. Promise I do.” He lifted a shaky hand to brush her hair, but there was nothing graceful about it. It looked like it took him an extensive amount of concentration to do it. 

“Peter, you don’t--.”

“No. Shush,” Peter said. “Gotta tell you. ‘Cus I know what it’s like to lose someone thinkin’ that they hate me...and I don’t want you to go through it too.” 

The tears finally started pouring from Aurora’s eyes. “I love you, Petey.” 

“Love you too, Rory.” He smiled before leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. 

When he went down to give her a kiss, he didn’t lift himself back up. In fact, now, all of his weight was laying on top of her now. Aurora’s heart skipped a beat as she said, “P-Peter?”

He didn’t answer. 

“Peter-- Peter. C’mon, Peter. Get up,” she said even though she knew he wasn’t going to wake up. Not until they got help. 

She took a deep breath, trying to control her sobs before they got too bad. She had to stay calm. She was the adult here. She had to keep Peter safe. So she fixed Peter’s head so it was resting against her shoulder more comfortably and rubbed his back softly. “It’s okay, Petey. We’re gonna be okay.”

She hoped she wasn’t going to let Peter down. 

Not again. 

* * *

“It's right up ahead,” Tony said, looking out the window anxiously. He was in the passenger seat with a StarkPad in his lap, a map onscreen showing them exactly where to go.

Happy wasn't joking when he said he'd follow the trackers in her earrings. 

They rounded the bend and Happy noticed that it was a sharp curve. He was driving fast, but not recklessly so. 

“There-- Hap, pull the car over. Now!” Tony yelled, already yanking his seatbelt off of himself. 

Happy didn't need to be told twice before he was stopping the car on the side of the road, half on the grass. Just in front of them was the car wreck. It was them obviously because that was Peter’s car. It was the minivan he drove his three kids around in...it was still crazy for Happy to see Peter as a father. Happy would always see him as that bright-eyed kid Tony stuck him with years ago. 

(He'd never tell another soul, but that was the best job he'd ever had.)

The sight of the overturned car was horrible to even look at. The entire right side of the car was crushed and the rest of it wasn't looking too good either. 

It took longer than it should have for Tony to get his seatbelt off and stumble out of the car. Happy was right behind him, grabbing his arm before he could walk any closer. Tony couldn't take his eyes off the car. “I gotta--they're inside. I gotta get them.” 

“You need to calm down, Tony,” Happy said softly. “Freaking out will do nothing.” 

Tony shook his head as if Happy didn't say a word to him. “They're both in there. They're stuck.” 

Happy kept a hold on him, restraining him for going over there. He didn't want Tony to go over there and look. It would be better if Happy saw what kind of state the kids were in first. “You've got to relax.”

“My babies,” he cried out, his leg buckling. “Both of them are in there.” 

It wasn't the first time Happy had heard Tony refer to Peter as one of his kids, but it was the first time it had sounded so raw. Happy swallowed past the lump in his throat. “I'm going to check in on them. Just...can you stay here? The rescue team should be only a few minutes behind us. I told Rhodey we'd need help.” 

Tony finally turned his head away from the car to Happy. His eyes were wide and terrified. “What if...what if…” 

_ What if we're too late?  _

“Not an option, boss.” He hesitated. “You'll be okay here?” 

Tony scrubbed at his eyes, trying to pull himself together. “I need to go see them. I can't-- I want to be the one.” 

“You know I can't let you,” Happy said. Tony wasn't dumb. He knew exactly why Tony couldn't come with him and it had nothing to do with signaling the rescue team. 

“Let me see, please,” Tony begged, squeezing Happy’s arm tightly. 

Happy shook his head. “Tony, I don't know how…you're too upset. I can't help you through a panic attack while also saving your kids.”

“Happy…” 

“You need to trust me. It's going to be okay.” Happy gave him a small smile. “Just wait here, I'll check in on them and then send you in to see them.” 

Tony nodded his head, finally. “I gotta-- gotta calm down before I go in there anyway. If they see me upset, they'll only get more worried.” 

“Good idea.” Happy patted his shoulder. Then he turned around and headed to the car. On the outside, he looked like this was no big deal. He had to act that way for Tony. If Tony saw him panicking, he would get even worse. Someone had to be strong for him. No matter how scared he was of seeing what was inside that car. 

He took a deep breath and opened the driver's seat door with a yank. It made a loud shriek as he opened it halfway because that's all it could go.

Before he could kneel down to even peer inside, he heard Aurora’s voice. “Happy! Is that you?”

He fell to his knees and stuck himself inside as far as he could go. Inside the car was worse than the outside. He tried to ignore all the twisted metal and focus on the kids. 

They were between the crushed passenger seat and the driver's seat. He could only see Aurora’s head and arms because Peter was laying on top of the rest of her. She had her arms wrapped around him: one on his back and one on using a hand to keep two fingers pressed against his neck.

She stared at Happy with wide eyes and he could see her struggling not to cry. She was a child, of course, she was scared. “Happy…”

“It's okay, sweetheart. We're gonna get you out of here. Are you okay?” 

She nodded her head. “Yeah. But Peter isn't.” 

Happy looked to Peter and saw the way his limp body laid there. That couldn't have been comfortable for Aurora to bear his weight. “What's wrong?” 

“He hit his head. A-and there's a metal rod that pierced through his back and came out his stomach. He's bleeding a lot. I tried keeping him awake, but he kept talking ‘bout how this was t-the end.” As she spoke, she began to panic just like her father had been. But unlike him, she was the child. She had and right to be scared. 

“It's okay, Aurora. It's okay to cry. You were brave long enough for Peter. Now it's okay to cry.”

She nodded her head and Happy watched as her bottom lip trembled. A few years began spilling down her cheeks. “H-he just passed out. And he won't wake up.” 

Happy wished he could reach in further to calm her down. “He's going to be okay. I promise. We're gonna figure out how to get him out.” 

“We're stuck. And his legs…” She shook her head, letting out a small sob. 

“Yeah, I see them. They go right under with yours. We're gonna--.” 

“No. His legs,” Aurora repeated. 

Happy frowned, studying where their lower bodies were pinned under part of the car. “What's wrong?” 

“He said he can't feel them,” she whispered. 

Happy’s eyes widened. He couldn't feel them...in the position, he was in and the way Aurora said the metal went through his back, paralyzation was very possible. The very idea of it horrified Happy. 

He didn't let it show. 

Clearing his throat, he turned back to Aurora and smiled. “He was incoherent with pain. Close to passing out. There was a possibility it’s nothing. You'll see. He'll be okay.”

“What if...what if it  _ is  _ something?” She asked in a low voice. 

Happy stared at her for a moment before answering, “Then we'll figure that out together.”

Aurora didn't like that answer even though it was the best Happy could give her. She started to cry openly. “I want my Dad.”

“Alright. Alright. I'll go get him. You're going to be okay.” Happy pulled himself out of the car and turned to where Tony was watching them anxiously. 

Their eyes met and neither one said a word for a long moment.  

Finally, Happy told him, “She wants you.” 

Tony rushed forward, not needing to be told twice. Happy stopped him before he could take his place and whispered, “Peter’s hurt pretty bad. Unconscious. Stabbed through and through. She's worried about him and freaking out. Can you calm her down before the medics come here and frag you away.” 

Tony nodded his head, almost looking offended. “Of course.” Then he kneeled down and Happy heard him say, “There's my baby girl” as if he wasn't on the verge of a breakdown moments earlier. 

Happy stepped away and the rest of their conversation no longer reached his ears. He stumbled his way back to their car, leaning against it for support. 

His stomach was in knots and threatening to throw up everything it had. They should have been dead...hell, Peter could still die. And if he didn't, there was was a chance he'd never feel or move his legs again. 

Those were children. Their children. 

He looked back over to the car where all he could see was Tony from the waist down sticking out of the car. He hoped he was calming Aurora down. He hoped the sight of Peter laying on top of her didn't scare him back into a panic.

That's what it did to Happy. 

He leaned his hands against the car, taking deeps breaths to calm himself down. He didn't even turn around when he heard sirens wailing and a familiar suit land just behind him. 

“Hap, don't tell me--.” He heard Rhodey’s voice say. 

“No,” Happy croaked. “They're not dead. One...one’s almost there.” 

“Fuck,” Rhodey breathed, the suit whirring as he took a step. “I hate to even ask, but...which one?”

Happy turned around to face him as he said, “Peter.” 

The mask was still covering Rhodey’s face and Happy had never been so jealous of the suit before. At least he could hide his fear. Act like half of his world was crumbling. “Shit…” 

Happy wiped at his face because his allergies were suddenly messing with his eyes. He turned to watch as the first responders pulled up and started piling out. Turning back to Rhodey, he said, “You need to get Tony out of there. You're the only one he'll even consider listening to you...and when that fails, use the suit.” 

Rhodey sighed, but nodded his head, knowing he had to drag Tony away. Even if he was kicking and screaming. 

He went over, signaling the medics to give him a moment. Tony pulled back to look up at him but he shook his head, refusing to move. Rhodey tried again to get him to move on his own, but that didn't seem to work either. 

So, he leaned down, wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and hoisted him up into the air.

Immediately, Tony began fighting. “Stop! Rhodes-- fucking put me down! Those are my kids!” 

Happy looked away as he saw Tony thrashing against Rhodey like a child having a tantrum. The medics around him seemed unsure of how to react either to it. 

“I know they're your kids, but you have to let the emergency services get them out. You know what could happen if they stay there.”

That seemed to get him to calm down enough for Rhodey to keep him somewhat controlled. 

Happy turned to the medics that were still frozen in place. He snapped out, “What are you waiting for? There are kids stuck in that damn car!” 

A 17-year-old kid and a 31-year-old kid. Still...kids. 

They all rushed forward to get to work. 

 

Happy joined Rhodey and Tony and they could only watch as they started cutting into the metal to try and get them out. 

At one point, one of the medics threw one of the triplet’s car seats out of their way. Happy covered his mouth, feeling his stomach churn. 

It took them what felt like hours to the three before finally, there was some action. They started moving like they had a mission and shouting to one another. Happy’s heart was beating so loud in his ears, he couldn't understand the words they were saying. Not until he focused on all the chaos around him. 

“We've got one, prep the ambulance!” One of the medics shouted as he crawled out of the demolished car. As he came out, he dragged out Aurora. She was trying to keep up with the medic, but she was moving slow. She was helped up between two responders and that's when they had a clear view of her.

And the blood stain that covered her entire torso. 

“Aurora!” Tony yelled, scrambling to follow her. Rhodey let him move but kept a hand on him. 

Aurora turned to follow the sound and gave him a smile as she cried. “Daddy!” 

He reached her and scooped her up in a hug, pulling her close. “Oh, my baby girl. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.”

“I love you,” she sobbed into his shoulder. 

“I love you too.”

“Sir, we have to get her checked out,” one of the medics said. 

Tony nodded, pulling away to look her over. His eyes stopped at her stomach and his face went pale. “Aurora…”

“It's not mine,” she said quickly. “Peter. He saved me.” 

Her entire shirt was soaked in blood, leaving Happy scared to think about Peter still in there losing blood. 

Tony must have been thinking the same thing. He gave Aurora a kiss on the head and said, “I’ll be right there. I have to get your brother.” 

Aurora nodded her head. “I'm okay. Go.” 

“I'll sit with you,” Happy said. Aurora didn’t deserve to be left alone after this. And there was nothing he could do for Peter that everyone else couldn't. He turned to Tony and Rhodey. “You guys go with him. I've got her.” 

“Thank you,” Tony said before him and Rhodey walked over to the car. 

Happy walked with Aurora over to the ambulance, looking over his shoulder once in time to see them pulling Peter from the wreckage. The metal was still stuck through his abdomen and they were being careful not to jerk him around too much. His shirt was stained with blood just like Aurora’s was but even worse. If the metal through his stomach wasn’t enough, the paleness of his skin showed just how much blood he was losing. 

Happy looked away, giving his attention to Aurora, hoping that one day he’d be able to forget that sight. 

But after years of being close friends with Iron Man, he knew memories like this never quite faded away. 

Still, he held Aurora’s hand through it all and told her, “It’s gonna be okay, Aurora. It’s all going to be okay. I promise.” 

* * *

Aurora held onto those words that Happy told her as the ambulance doors shut and they started driving to the nearest hospital. 

_ It was all going to be okay.  _

She repeated that to herself like a mantra. As they rushed her into the emergency room with Peter’s stretcher only seconds behind her. He was rolled on his side because of the metal still in his body and the doctors were all focusing on him. They were running and yelling. 

Aurora was cared for, but she didn’t need immediate attention. The worst she had was her broken leg and they fixed that up for her. 

No matter how many times she asked, nobody was telling her about Peter. Her dad had dropped in after she got her cast finished to check in on her, give her a hug, apologize a million times for being a dick (funny, she was doing the same thing to Peter earlier today) and then he had to go see how Peter was. But he refused to tell her what was going on. 

Mom came and sat with her though and while she tried to keep Aurora from worrying about Peter, she couldn’t run off and hide when she asked about him. So she told her that Peter was in surgery. There was a lot of internal damage done that needed to be fixed. When Aurora had started to cry at the thought of Peter being operated on for hours, her mom had hushed her gently. She said that his spider powers were keeping him alive and that didn’t seem to be stopping any time soon. 

Mom stayed by her side and as the hours passed she had a few other visitors: Dad, Uncle Happy, Uncle Rhodey, Aunt May, Ned, and the kids. But even with all of her family coming to check in on her, there was only one person she really wanted to see. 

But every time she asked for Peter, she got the same response: “he’s still in surgery”. 

 

It was hours when the answer finally changed. He was out of surgery and recovering, but she was stuck in this room. She fought with her mom because it was only a broken leg and minor concussion; she didn’t need to be stuck here all night. But her mom and the doctors all disagreed. 

Aurora only stopped arguing it so much because he was okay and he was sleeping. Aurora could see him when he was finally awake. She made her mom promise to tell her when he was awake. 

They didn’t expect him to be up and coherent until the next day, so as much as Aurora tried to fight it, she still passed out, the adrenaline from the day gone. 

She stayed asleep until she felt someone started shaking her shoulder. “Aurora, baby girl,” she heard her mother saying softly. 

She groaned and peeked open her eyes and saw her mom leaning over with a small smile. “Hm?” 

“You said you wanted to see your brother when he was awake.” 

That was enough to get Aurora sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but the sky was still dark outside the window. “He’s up?”

Mom brushed some of her hair behind her ear. “He is. Been up maybe around an hour. Let everyone else go say hi before I thought I’d wake you up. You need the sleep too.” 

“I’m not tired,” she lied. “I just wanna see Peter.” 

“Okay, okay,” Mom said, standing up and grabbing a wheelchair that was parked against the wall. “He’s in another unit, but I’ll wheel you over in no time.” 

She helped Aurora into the chair and started wheeling her out in the hallway. It must have been late because the only people walking around the halls were nurses. It was silent besides the beeping of machines in the rooms. 

Mom wheeled her through the halls until they were outside Peter’s room. She stopped and turned to her with a whisper, “I know you’re not the kids, so you understand. But don’t be too upset when you see him, okay? He’s got a lot of bandages and wires and an oxygen mask, but it’s just to help him. He’s still Peter.” 

“I know, Mom,” Aurora said, anxious just to go in and see him. “I’ve seen him hurt after patrol and missions. I’ll be fine.” 

Her mom nodded once before finally rolling her inside his room. And there Peter was, laying in bed. She had seen him beat up worse before, but it never got easier. His face was covered in scrapes and bruises, there was a white wrap around his head, and an oxygen mask covering his mouth. 

Aunt May was sitting in the corner of the room with Ned and they were talking silently. Ruth, Kevin, and Lucas were all cramped on his bed. Dad was pulling Lucas up under his shoulders to pull him off of Peter’s legs. 

Suddenly, being in the room, watching Peter laugh as all his kids climbed over him, she didn’t feel like she deserved to be in here. Peter should be fine. He should be outside and chasing them around the park. Not cooped up in the hospital room. 

Ruth was tucked against his side, turned to look up at him as she signed quickly. Peter seemed to be having trouble keeping up with her, his eyes tracking her hands slowly. 

“Look who I brought!” Mom announced, causing everyone inside to turn and look at them with a smile. Aurora could see Peter’s smile through the oxygen mask and it hurt to see. She looked away. 

“Well,” Dad said, unaware of the tension slowly growing. “How about we take these three trouble makers for some snacks in the cafeteria and let the other two trouble makers talk?”

Ned stood up from where he was talking to Aunt May and laughed. “Sounds good to me, if you can get Ruth away from Pete. She’s been telling him this story for the past twenty minutes.” 

Sure enough, when Ruth was picked up by Aunt May and set on her feet, she let out a grunt and tried to run back to Peter’s bed. Aunt May ruffled her hair and waited until she was looking back up at her before telling her that her dad needed a break; he was tired and needed some rest. Once Ruth saw Aunt May sign that she was happy to peck Peter’s cheek with her lips and wave goodbye with a promise to return the next morning with good food. Ruth grabbed Aunt May’s hand and pulled her out of the room. Ned, Dad, Lucas, and Kevin followed out with their own goodbyes to Peter and Aurora. 

Ruth stopped by her wheelchair to marvel at her cast. She gasped and grabbed Aurora’s arm, shaking it until Aurora looked at her. She started to sign with just as much excitement as she was giving Peter, asking her if she could sign it. 

_ Of course,  _ Aurora signed back.  _ Tomorrow you can sign it all you want.  _

Ruth laughed loudly as she skipped out, Lucas and Kevin both following her, arguing about what they were going to write. Dad stopped by her chair and cupped her cheeks in his hands. He pressed a kiss to her head and Aurora smiled. “I’ll see you soon, baby. Don’t beat yourself up too much.”

Of course, her dad knew exactly what was going through her mind. He always did. 

Before long, it was only Aurora and Peter in the room. Peter patted the bed, signaling Aurora to wheel her over chair over. She didn’t move. He pulled his oxygen mask off of his face. “Come here,” he said in a low voice. 

“I don’t think you should be doing that,” she said, staring down at the floor again.

"What? You gonna tell on me?"

Aurora knew he was joking, but she wasn't ready to laugh about any of this.

“‘M I that bad?”

Aurora looked up in confusion. “What?”

He gestured to his face. “Am I that bad that you don’t wanna look at me?”

Aurora groaned. “Peter, that’s not--.”

“Then why won’t you look at me?”

Aurora looked down at her lap for a moment before looking back up again. “It’s my fault you’re in here.”

Peter groaned. “Seriously? You too?” 

“You-- your side of the car was fine, Peter. You moved to save me and then now you’re hurt.” Aurora said and she started rolling the chair to his bed. 

“Yeah, and?”

“We were only in the car because we were fighting and I was so--.”

“We’re going back to this?” Peter asked, sighing. “I thought we were over this. We made up. We had that emotional moment in the car.”

“Peter,” Aurora said with a warning in her voice because now was not the time to make jokes about an accident that was only a few hours old. “Stop it.” 

“Okay, okay,” Peter laughed, wincing slightly. “I’m sorry. Obviously too soon.” 

“I’m sorry--.” 

“Rory, I love you, but I cannot do this again. May just spent 3 hours crying to me because she was blaming herself for sending us in the car. I finally managed to convince her it wasn’t her fault two pricks were street racing. I can’t do it again.” 

“I’m sorry,” she said, unsure of what else to say. 

Peter gave her a small smile. “I don’t know about you...but I’m really sick of apologies.” 

Aurora smiled back with a shaky laugh. “Yeah...I think I am too.” 

“Good. So how about we just forget...that ever happened?”

Aurora wasn’t sure she could ever forget it. She knew Peter wouldn’t be able to forget it either. “I messed up, Pete.” 

Peter shrugged his shoulders. “So what? We all do. You think Aunt May would still be putting up with me after all those years if she dropped me every time I was a brat?” 

Aurora laughed, wiping the tears from her eyes that she hadn’t even realized collected. “Oh, so I was a brat?” 

“The biggest,” Peter said. “But you’re my bratty little sister. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.” 

Aurora pushed herself onto her feet and fell forward onto the bed, wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug. Peter moved quickly, holding her up. 

“Woah,” he said, “I really don’t think you’re supposed to do that.”

“What?” She said, sniffling back some tears. “You gonna tell on me?” 

“Get up here and give your brother a hug and I'll keep your secret,” he said.

Aurora rolled her eyes but pulled herself into bed, wincing at the way her leg throbbed. Peter moved out of the way to make room for her. Her eyes widened when she saw him moving his legs. "Your legs!" 

Peter frowned. "What?" 

"Your legs-- you said you couldn't move them." 

"Oh," Peter said, realization dawning on him. "Yeah, I couldn't for a bit. Metal messed with my spine, broken ribs punctured my lung. They say I was lucky to survive."

Aurora settled against his side. "Good thing for that spidey healing then, huh?"

"I guess that and the girl that kept me alive in that car." 

Scoffing, Aurora said, "I didn't do anything."   


"You talked to me. Calmed me down. I owe some of me being alive to you, sis." He pressed a kissed to the top of her head and Aurora melted at it. 

"Yeah, well, I'm completely alive because of you. So thank you." 

"That's what siblings are for, right? Sure, we're gonna bust each other's chops and no one knows how to knock us down better than each other...but at the end of the day, there's no doubt I'd die for you. And I think you'd do the same, huh?" 

"Of course," Aurora replied. 

Peter smiled, resting his head against hers. "We better not tell Dad our mutual death pact. Don't think he'd like it very much." 

Aurora couldn't help the laugh she let out at that. 

Maybe Happy was right...they were all gonna be okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm finally wrapping this one up...I'm a little sad. I started this months ago and it's done. Thank you so much for joining me on this crazy ride. A tremendous thank you to Kat for listening to me scream to her about this fic last year and continuing to let me rant to her as I wrote each chapter. I wouldn't have done this without you. 
> 
> I know this sounds like a goodbye, but it's not. Aurora's story is far from complete. I may not have any concrete fics planned, I've got many one-shot ideas ready to fill the other fic in this series Red Robin. I also have Peter's kids to go into... you didn't think I wouldn't have an entire background story for each of them created, right? Because I do. And I'm so excited to share that with you. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, commenting and supporting me in this. Until next time,

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think below!


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